Robert Girrard appeared on the Carmel,
California art scene from 1984 to 1989. His
original paintings were exclusively sold
through Cottage Gallery at Carmel and were
hugely popular. By 1990 Girrard ceased creating
his romantically nostalgic paintings,
disappointing many collectors.
Yet…the artist whose brush name was Robert
Girrard continued to paint, as he always had,
under his given name, Thomas Kinkade. Prior to
the Girrard era, Thom painted in a style he
called alternately, academic realism or
romantic realism. Toward the end of the Girrard
years two limited edition lithographs of
Girrard's work, An Evening Out, and Boating Day
were published by a partnership between Thomas
Kinkade and the owner of the Cottage Gallery.
Each image is limited to only 490 prints, hand
signed by Thomas Kinkade under his brush name.
Rich in beauty, historicity, scarcity, and
notoriety, these highly collectible prints, are
a must for the true Kinkade collector.
The Girrard body of work is among the best of
Thom's career. Painted in a simpler time of
life, the works reflect the joy Thom felt as he
experimented in the impressionist style. The
success of the Robert Girrard images and style
began to influence the paintings Thom created
under the name Thomas Kinkade. This direction,
away from academic realism, created fresh
career opportunities. Thom aligned himself with
new business associates, ceased to paint as
Robert Girrard, and guided his art into new
fields.
"An Evening Out" is one of only two Girrard
prints selected and published during the
"Girrard" era as a limited edition. Printed on
archival, rag paper with lightfast inks, its
unparalleled beauty and quality are evident.
Pat Kinkade, Thom's brother, gave the following
summary of Thom's work under the name Girrard:
"Thom started painting under the name Girrard
to try a different brush style without
confusing his collector base. The work was
wonderful, much broader stroke than his
traditional studio work, very colorful, and
very expressive. Girrard became very popular so
a biography was created and even a calender of
his work was printed."
