The cascading moonlight is a diffuse ocean above Lady and the Tramp, lessening the darkness of the night, but not bright enough to dull the shooting star that speckled and glittered in the sky above. As Lady and the Tramp sit gazing into each other’s eyes and falling-in-love they are seemingly unaware of the world around them. Set foot into this iconic scene, where you can almost smell the scent of spaghetti and meatballs wafting up to them on the night’s gentle breeze. Gaze upon Darling and Jim Dear walking hand-in-hand as they reminisce of when they fell in love.

Thomas Kinkade loved everything Disney, but what Thom truly loved was the portrayal of blossoming love in Disney’s storytelling. The Thomas Kinkade Studios is pleased to present Disney’s Lady and the Tramp Falling in Love, a classic love story that shares hope that love will blossom for all.

Of all the Disney love stories, “Beauty and the Beast” is perhaps the most poignant. The Beast’s true identity is a charming prince who is discovering love in the form of the beautiful Belle. In Beauty and the Beast’s Winter Enchantment both characters come to realize that their friendship has blossomed into love.

While the two dance in the crisp winter snow, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Cogsworth, Lumiére, Plumette, Frou-Frou and Madame de Garderobe celebrate this new young love. Escape into this painting and witness unconditional love in its purest form.

As we jump into the scene, Prince Phillip has already awakened Princess Aurora with true love’s kiss. We see the pair in the courtyard under an enchanted light streaming down from the good fairies. It is just the two of them, with their hearts in the clouds as they dance “happily ever after.”

On the rolling hills of this vineyard countryside estate, the scent of crush is thick in the air. Vineyards are bursting – ripe with fruit – beckoning to be picked as fall is fast approaching. The garden is in full bloom, its beauty only surpassed by the tranquil blue-sky lit up in a fiery blaze. We invite you to meander down the cobblestone path and soak up the majestic beauty that Wine Country Living has to offer.

As the third painting in my Disney Dreams Collection, Tinker Bell and Peter Pan Fly to Neverland promises to be my most exciting work yet! The Peter Pan story presents the wondrous fantasies of youth; secret island hideaways, visions of mermaids and pirates, and the irresistible urge to fly high above the world. I am powerfully aware of the tug of youthful dreams – one might even say that as an artist, I strive to stay constantly connected with the wide-eyed wonder of childhood.

As with the first two paintings in my twelve piece Disney Dreams Collection (affectionately referred to as the “Disney Dozen” by die hard collectors!), I try to tell the whole story in a single image – what I refer to as a narrative panorama. We see Neverland in the distance, just below the “second star to the right,” an enchanting land rising above the clouds. As the full moon bathes the scene with its silvery glow, the lights of London twinkle along the river Thames as the clouds take shape, if only in our imagination, as characters from the adventure – Captain Hook, Smee, the Lost Boys, and the ubiquitous ticking crocodile.

But for me, the central character of the story will always remain Tinker Bell, the enchanted fairy princess who makes the entire journey of imagination possible. As the bells of Big Ben begin to toll in the evening air, won’t you grab a handful of Tinker Bell’s pixie dust and join me on the adventure of a lifetime? As Peter Pan put it, “come on everybody, here we go…”

Believe it or not, I am a huge fan of the film The Little Mermaid. I honestly believe it is the film that sparked the renaissance in Disney animation coming out of the 1980’s. While Beauty and the Beast may be the most purely romantic movie of the modern-day Disney classics and The Lion King movie the most powerfully dramatic, The Little Mermaid movie is clearly the most enjoyably enchanting of these films and certainly best captures the innocent nature of first love.

Watching my four daughters all grow into young women I have been privy to the emotional peaks and valleys of young love. I understand King Triton’s concern and desire to protect his youngest from a relationship facing so many obstacles. But, I also recognize the desperate love Ariel feels towards Prince Eric and the purity of her belief that their love can conquer all. Love is powerful, love is captivating and first love absolutely enchants!

The creation of The Little Mermaid, much like my Tinker Bell and Peter Pan Fly to Neverland, presented special technical and aesthetic challenges for me that were not present in most of my other Disney paintings. Thematically, this film deals with the clash between two worlds and how to best inegrate them together. So it was with my painting. I had to bring the undersea of Ariel’s childhood into peace with the land-bound life she so longed for with her beloved Prince Eric. I felt the sea life at the bottom of the composition did this allowing both parts of Ariel’s life, past and future, in all their regal and colorful glory.

I truly hope the loyal fans of the film enjoy my narrative tale of The Little Mermaid.

When I set myself the goal of creating the twelve epic paintings for the Disney Dreams Collection, I knew it would be a vast undertaking. After all, each painting in the series presents a vision of the entire movie in one image – what I like to call a “narrative panorama.” In my Bambi painting, I wanted to present a broad look at the events of Bambi’s young life, along with the suggestion of his destiny as the newly crowned prince of the forest.

To suggest the moment of Bambi’s empowerment, I positioned him on a rocky precipice overlooking the terrain of his kingdom and the four seasons of his first year. Below him is an image of his own self at a younger age, representing the “spring” of his life. Surrounding the young Bambi we see the animals of the unspoiled forest – Thumper the rabbit, Flower the skunk, plus Mole and Otter, and at the left, Bambi’s first love Faline and her protective mother. These gentle animals are reminders that even a price depends upon the loving care of friends and family.

If you look closely, even Bambi’s self-sacrificing mother can be seen, as though emerging through the mists of memory, as a half hidden image upon the distant mountain. Truly, a mother’s love, like the spirit of the mighty mountains, will guide a son forever.

The lighting and rains at the left of the composition create a visual transition to the second season of Bambi’s life as “summer.” Further back, below the majestic mountain in the distance, we see a suggestion of Bambi’s “winter” world, a whimsical season in the movie featuring the playful antics of Bambi and friends in a frozen wonderland. Bambi’s “autumn” is the season of his maturity. At the right of my composition we see the fall colors ablaze above the young adult Bambi, as the wisest and mightiest creature of the forest – the old stag – looks on approvingly through a rising mist in the afternoon light.

The central theme of Bambi is the cycle of the seasons and the ongoing flow of life. Waterfalls and rivulets abound in the Bambi movie, suggesting the unstoppable life force, and in my painting we see these cascades just beyond a misty rainbow. Truly, water flows through the world like life itself – a timeless reminder that despite the passing seasons, nature thrives and a new generation is born.

I believe Bambi’s First Year is the most breathtaking subject in my Disney Dreams Collection to date. I attempted to capture the sublime beauty of the forest, combined with the wonderful charm of the forest animals and their playful everyday activities. I hope as you look at Bambi cresting the ridge of his domain, you too will feel empowered to live your best life and to count on a season of new beginnings, even when the challenges of life confront you. Truly for Bambi, and for us, life goes on.

As many of you know, nature is one of my favorite collaborators. It was surely the inspiration for The Valley of Peace. On a recent family vacation in the Rockies, we all went for a sunrise horseback ride. As we rode along, we found ourselves following a peaceful, meandering stream. This stream led us to what had to be the most beautiful open valley and deep golden grove of aspen trees. And there, rising majestically at the valley end, was the most impressive mist-covered mountain we had ever witnessed. At that moment I knew that I had to put this idyllic place on canvas. In The Valley of Peace, I have added the perfect stone cottage and a family of deer as I invite you all to join me here in The Valley of Peace for another sunrise ride.

We begin this perfect day with the golden glory of aspen trees in the morning light. Graceful stands of aspen dot the mountainside, their luminous yellows defining a knd of patchwork quilt against the dark greens of the pine forest. The Valley of Peace marks the first time I’ve featured the delicate golden beauty of aspen trees in my mountainscapes. Most often, I find in these heroic landscape a rugged grandeur that is distinctively masculine. Here I revel in the play of subtle colors, the intricacies of light and shade, that give my gardens their cozy, romantic quality.

Nature has her garden spots; The Valley of Peace is one of them. The rustic cabin is cozy, inviting. The murmuring little stream runs to a sylvan pond, where rainbow trout lurk beneath the still surface. The road winds up the hillside to the lofty peaks beyond. Aspen trees capture the gold of sunlight for our delight. Here, truly, is a perfect retreat for the dreamer who lives in all our hearts.

“When you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you”

The parable about footprints in the sand, which reminds us that God carries us through our times of trouble, resonates with profound truth. My Footprints in the Sand, Pismo Pier takes us to a charming coastal town to explore the interweaving of the human and spiritual elements of our lives.

The scene bustles with human activity – families strolling the pier, fishermen, even my first-ever portrayal of a surfer. The busy people are bathed in the Heavenly light of sunset, and flocks of gulls – like messengers from Heaven – descend from the glorious sky. Two pairs of footprints in the sand narrow to one, reminding us that when our lives are troubled, God will always be a constant guide and steady support to carry us through to joyous spiritual victory.

Morro Rock has been something of a touchstone in my life. My dad loved its massive grandeur, and never failed to point out this rugged sentinel of the sea when we drove California’s scenic Highway 1 together. Morro Bay at Sunset depicts a lover’s paradise. Nanette, our girls and I have enjoyed quiet interludes here, delighting in each other’s company and savoring memories that reach back into my own childhood.

Recently, I visited the bay with Winsor and Merritt at my side. As I set up my easel for a Plein Air study, the sun setting behind the rock painted the azure ocean in radiant hues. I was enchanted by the ever watchful pelicans, and for the first time I included these great birds in my canvas. To celebrate my family’s fond attachment to this picturesque harbor, I decided to name one of the trawlers “Billy Boy” in honor of my father Bill Kinkade. You’ll also spot a “Nan” and a “Merritt” among the resting fleet. I challenge you to find the seven N‘s I’ve hidden in this painting in tribute to my wife and the joy we’ve shared here.

When I finished my canvas, Winsor, Merritt and I shared a seafood feast while savoring the spectacle of sunset over the bay. I hope that Morro Bay at Sunset will delight your family as it has mine.