Art Notes

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3

Thomas Kinkade, my brother, was privileged to see Beyond the Farthest Star prior to its release and was immediately moved. The above verse from Isaiah came to his mind during its viewing and in relation to the themes portrayed in this magnificent film. Thom cried thinking of the Lord’s capacity to restore, redeem and reconcile even in what may appear to be the most hopeless of circumstances. He truly came to appreciate the meaning of “beauty for ashes”. To say the experience stayed with him does not fully capture its impact. As he often did, Thom wished to take brush to canvas and express his heart in oil. He wanted others to know what the film made him feel about the rebirth we are promised in the Bible and that the story depicted. Sadly, we are only allowed a glimmer of what that masterpiece may have been. The painting planned was only realized through sketch work and color study, the oil work would never come to be. Thom was called home before its completion. The passing of my brother profoundly affected all who knew him and for time this project was, as were many others, lost in our collective grief. We simply set it aside thinking the work could not be finished. Then Thom’s initial work caught the eye of Zachary Thomas Kinkade, my son and Thom’s nephew. He, like his uncle, is an artist of accomplishment and a prodigious talent. As Zac had opportunity to see the film and thought of what his Uncle Thom had started he picked up the mantle and asked to be allowed to finish the painting. And so, Zachary and all of us involved in this work are allowed to give beauty for ashes. A small family gathers at an overlook to their small town. Above them stretches the infinite heavens and a singular question. What lies beyond the farthest star? We all miss you Thom. We know you have found the answer to that question and wait there to share it with us all. To those who knew him, to those who cared about him and to all those who will come to see him in and love him through his work, God bless and thank you for sharing the light.

– Patrick Kinkade