thomas kinkade: christian artist and public urination enthusiast

You may have heard of Thomas Kinkade. He is known as "the painter of light". He paints sickening yellowy scenes of idyllic country farm houses and streams. I'm not sure why anyone would pay money for his shit, but people have peculiar tastes when it comes to "art".

Kinkade's website has this to say about the artist:

Thomas Kinkade is America's most collected living artist. Coming from a modest background, Kinkade emphasizes simple pleasures and inspirational messages through his paintings. As a devout Christian, Kinkade uses his gift as a vehicle to communicate and spread inherent life-affirming values...

Kinkade credits the Lord for both the ability and the inspiration to create his paintings. His goal as an artist is to touch people of all faiths, to bring peace, and joy into their lives through the images he creates. The letters he receives every day testify to the fact that he is achieving this goal.

So, would you be surprised if you found out that Kinkade is a hypocritical asshole in real life who harrasses women, enjoys getting drunk in Vegas to heckle Siegfreid and Roy, and digs urinating in public? The LA Times explains:

And then there is Kinkade's proclivity for "ritual territory marking," as he called it, which allegedly manifested itself in the late 1990s outside the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

"This one's for you, Walt," the artist quipped late one night as he urinated on a Winnie the Pooh figure, said Terry Sheppard, a former vice president for Kinkade's company, in an interview.

Kinkade declined The Times' request for an interview but responded to written questions. He labeled those accounts of his personal behavior as "ridiculous" and "crazy allegations."

I wonder if he credits "the Lord" for both the ability and inspiration to pee in public.

The Blotter has more on this devout Christian artist.