Thomas Kinkade: Convict of Light?

[ Paradise Burning - A Kinkade parody painting ]

What new title might Thomas Kinkade bestow upon himself? Convict of Light? Painter of Blight? The multi-millionaire hack painter, packaged as the "Painter of Light", is apparently now in trouble with the Feds over fraud charges. Several gallery owners claim to have been taken for a ride by Kinkade, alleging the artist and the top executives of his company persuaded them to invest tens of thousands of dollars to open Kinkade franchise galleries… only to be intentionally ruined and run out of business by Kinkade’s shady business practices. Accusations have been made that Kinkade deliberately devalued his public company, Media Arts Group Inc., before taking it public - making a cool $32 million in the process. It looks like ’ol Tom just might be starting a new career as a prison artist. The Los Angeles Times has printed a detailed article on the scandal.