[artist] Thomas Kinkade: It's Getting Heavy for the Painter of Light™

Warning: If you enjoy the paintings of and admire the work of soi-disant Painter of Light™ Thomas Kinkade, do not, under ANY circumstances, read this post.

Okay, the Kincade fans are on board now. We can proceed.

Some time ago, in this post and this post, we assayed the personal and professional style of one Thomas Kincade, Painter of Light™. Looks like he's been doing a bit more than painting.

In my blog tripping, I stumbled upon this gem (via the L.A. Times, registration may be required). Long story short, the FBI suspects our boy Thomas just may have been getting away with fraud:

The FBI is investigating allegations that self-styled "Painter of Light" Thomas Kinkade and some of his top executives fraudulently induced investors to open galleries and then ruined them financially, former dealers contacted by federal agents said.

The bait? An appeal to Christian faith.

"They really knew how to bait the hook," said one former dealer who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case. "They certainly used the Christian hook."

The switch? Unchristian business practices, quite possibly:

Former gallery owners said that after they had invested tens of thousands of dollars each or more, the company's practices and policies drove them out of business. They alleged they were stuck with unsalable limited-edition prints, forced to open additional stores in saturated markets and undercut by discounters that sold identical artworks at prices they were forbidden to match.

Whatever you think of Kincade, you owe it to yourself to read the full article, and make up your own mind. I, for my part, am hardly a Bible scholar, but something goes off in my head when one uses thier devout faith as a selling point. It cheapens the whole thing. To me, you're either trustworthy, or you ain't. The words "Trust me" should never, ever, be follwed by the words "because I'm a Christian". It matters not whether you are Christian, atheist, Hindu, or Pastafarian, for that matter.

And, as a chaser, peep this masterwork. My understanding is, it didn't sell to well (another warning to Kinkade fans: doubleplusungood to surf this link. I'm serious this time!)

Technorati Tags: Thomas Kinkade, artists, bad art