Art Experience Assignment

Last weekend, I came down with a really bad case of strep throat. When I called my mom and told her, she insisted on bringing me home. I have been at my home in West Linn, sick, all week, so I decided to do this assignment on a piece of art work that I have never noticed in my house before until this week. I was sitting in our living room, half way zoning out and half way talking to my mom, when I noticed this beautiful painting in our entry way.

The painting looks like it takes place in the winter sometime, probably at night because the house looks pretty lit up inside. There are three horses standing around outside, and if horses could talk, that’s what they would be doing in this picture because they are all standing in a semi-circle with their heads all very close together. There’s an old car outside, with the headlights on, possibly waiting for someone inside the well-lit house. The house is absolutely darling; it looks like it’s from the Victorian era. It’s Christmas time in this photo because there are Christmas lights on the house, on the trees outside and there is also a wreath on the front door of the little blue house.

            The sky is an array of pinks and purples; it looks like the sun just set a little bit ago on this beautiful little town. Although it is Christmas time, there is no sign of snow anywhere in this photo. Maybe the artist is from Oregon, so he is like the rest of us who don’t know that it actually does snow on Christmas! (Joking.) This looks like the most peaceful, care free place to be in the world and actually, the more I examine this photo, the more I wish I was inside of that house right now, sitting by the fire place with a cup of hot chocolate reading a good book…

 

Now, I take a look at the painting’s name and the artist. The painting is called “Christmas Memories”, and has been painted by Thomas Kinkade.

 

After researching Thomas Kinkade, I learned that he is America’s most collected artist who is still living today. At the top of his website it says, “Thomas Kinkade. Painter of Life.” He grew up in a small town in California, and tries to speak about his Christian faith through his paintings. After reading more and more about him, I realize that this picture is probably exactly what his “Christmas Memories” are. He seems like a very simple, Christian man who appreciates the small things in life, like a great cup of coffee or an early morning walk. Growing up in California would explain why his memory of Christmas lacks snow. There are probably no people shown outside the house because everyone is inside, reading the story of Christmas from the Bible on Christmas Eve. Maybe the horse’s heads being bowed is a symbol of prayer, and the white sky at the top of the sunset may be a symbol of God’s love.

I just got to looking at some of his other creations on his website and he is an absolutely gorgeous artist! All of his paintings appear so simple, yet when you really take a look they are so complex. The colors he uses are so soft, yet so vivid at the same time. He is an incredible artist.

If I was ever able to own a Thomas Kinkade painting, I would like it to be his interpretation of "Footprints in the Sand", because that has been my favorite poem ever since I was little.