Think current American art and you have to consider Thomas Kinkade. Described by his website as �America�s most-collected living artist,� Kinkade embodies mainstream America in two respects:

Two years ago he released �Disneyland�s 50th Anniversary,� a study of Sleeping Beauty Castle at dusk, a piece commissioned by Disneyland for its 50th anniversary celebration. (As of this writing, one of the three sizes is still available in limited quantities; for more information, call Disneyland DelivEARS at 800-362-4533.)

Now comes another Disney work: �A New Day at the Cinderella Castle,� inspired by the icon of Walt Disney World�s Magic Kingdom. Mr. Kinkade will appear in the Expo Hall at the Magic Kingdom on Oct. 20 from 11 am to 1 pm for the unveiling. It will be the first day of sale and he will be signing new purchases. After that date, guests can purchase �A New Day at the Cinderella Castle� at Disney Parks until the edition is sold out. This work was commissioned by Walt Disney World and it is his first Walt Disney World piece. 

Three days before the release, I talked with Mr. Kinkade by telephone as he worked in his studio. He had a number of interviews scheduled and I was promised only ten minutes. I typed as he spoke so I could read his answers back and he could correct any mistakes. So I asked and typed as he answered and painted. The time flew by and he graciously allowed me about twice the time I was promised, but eventually he had to excuse himself and move on. This is the result.

I began with a general but leading question:

What does Disney mean to you?
Well, Disney means unlocking the child within. I am fortunate to be in the business of tapping into that inner child as a way of making my living. I really believe my early experiences with Disneyland shaped my artistic vision to a great degree.

How does a project like this come about?
When I went to Disneyland as a child and later to Walt Disney World, I was struck with the charming sense of architecture. You have Main Street with references on small-town life in America, you have Fantasyland with its incredible European charm, and I think both of these elements influenced me early on.

In my maturity as a artist, I call upon both of these aesthetic dimensions in my image-making. So to me it was a natural extension to paint vistas from the parks themselves. The first project emerged on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland, and I was allowed to actually take my easel and paint on Main Street. I tried to imbue the scene with the same sense of imagination that I felt as a child, but for that scene I stuck pretty close to what is actually there in the park.

With the current painting of Cinderella Castle for Walt Disney World, I took a far more imaginative approach. For example, I was allowed to re-create the landscape setting surrounding the castle to include many more flowering shrubs and colorful trees. Though the castle is accurate, the setting is highly romanticized. I like to think each print becomes a glimpse of The Happiest Place on Earth within the home.

As an artist, when you stand in Main Street and look at Cinderella Castle, what do you see?
Walt�s vision was a very painterly vision. To me, Walt Disney was an artist whose canvas was his films and his parks. He constructed his creations in the same way I do as a painter. So when I work on a project with the Disney organization, I feel as though I�m collaborating directly with Walt�s vision.

How do you feel this work fits with your larger body of work?
The Kinkadean style is very similar to the emotions generated by experiencing a Disney movie or park. I try to get rid of all the ugly parts of life. In the end, my paintings provide comfort and inspiration to people. To me this is the essence of Disney.

How do you feel this work fits with other recent Disney art?
I feel every artist must be true to his or her own vision, so each artist who finds inspiration in the Disney experience will create something uniquely their own. I hope that what I�ve created will bring joy to Disney collectors and Kinkade collectors alike.

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Will Thomas Kinkade paint more scenes from Disney theme parks? I ran out of time before I could ask him directly. A representative from his studio later told me nothing is in the works at the moment, but who knows? If Disney collectors embrace this release as enthusiastically as Kinkade collectors have responded to the body of his work, it�s a real possibility.

�A New Day at the Cinderella Castle� will be offered in the following formats: for a complete listing of the merchandise and information on the �Morning Star Breakfast with Thomas Kinkade� on Saturday, October 20 from 8:30 am to 10:00 am at Disney�s Grand Floridian Resort for $150 per person, see DisneyGallery.com.

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