This month Sophia and Olivia focused on the work of Thomas Kinkade. I had difficulty finding a book that showed his work as a collective body, so instead I used book covers. Several of Kinkade's paintings appeared on the covers of books that he wrote. Thus, the writing superimposed on one of the images.
The girls looked at each of the six images for a while and then shared what they remembered from each one.
Background
Thomas Kinkade (January 19, 1958 – April 6, 2012) was an American painter of popular realistic, bucolic, and idyllic subjects. He is notable for the mass marketing of his work as printed reproductions and other licensed products via The Thomas Kinkade Company.
He described himself as "Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light," a phrase he protected through trademark but one originally attributed to J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851). It is estimated that 1 in every 20 American homes owns a copy of one of his paintings.
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Cobblestone Christmas, 2003.
Sophia remembered:
=> There is a row of houses on one side of the river and almost all of them have colored lights - red, yellow, green, and orange.
=> There's a stone bridge that goes from one side of the river to the other; and it has a wooden hand rail.
=> The bridge is kind of tall so boats can sail underneath.
=> The river isn't quite iced over. It is grayish green in color.
=> On the other side there's another house with lights along the eaves.
=> There's a big church at the end of the row of houses.
=> The sun is setting because the clouds are all peach and orange.
=> If you look down past the bridge, you'll see weeping willows and they're hanging over the river.
=> There's a tall pine tree with a bird that's flying.
=> There aren't any people outside.
=> The people are inside and you can see their silhouettes.
=> On the bridge, there are wreaths that are on the bottom of it.
Olivia remembered:
=> There are a couple of houses that don't have lights on them.
=> The outside Christmas tree has a star on it.
=> The lights reflect off the ice on the water.
=> In one of the house windows, you can see people.
=> There's a big tree with an eagle soaring a couple inches away.
=> The stone bridge has a couple of wreaths on it.
=> On one side of the bridge, there's a couple of hedges.
=> In the clouds, it looks like a person rowing a boat and a person riding a horse.
=> A house has two willow trees in front of it.
=> There's a church with a cross on it.
=> Underneath the snow, you can see a little grass.
=> Nobody is outside.
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Home Song, 2004.
Sophia remembered:
=> There's a stone bridge crossing two parts of the river.
=> Next to the bridge on either side are bushes of red and pink roses.
=> There's a man fishing with his gray terrier.
=> There's a man painting by a house with a girl by him.
=> There's a lady in the house looking at him.
=> There are a lot of houses surrounding the river. It reminds me of canals in Vienna.
=> All around the houses there are lanterns placed in the bushes to light up the area.
=> There's a man rowing a boat.
=> The sky is a pretty purple with yellow, gold, and a little bit of peach.
=> There's a path leading to the bridge. There might be a crossroad and a sign by the path.
=> There aren't a lot of people around because they are all at home.
=> It's a beautiful spring or summer evening.
Olivia remembered:
=> A man is painting a picture with a girl.
=> There's a boy or person rowing a boat.
=> There's a man fishing and a dog beside him.
=> There's a stone bridge crossing the river.
=> There are a lot of flowers.
=> There are houses in the distance.
=> Some of the houses have smoke coming out of chimneys.
=> There is a big mountain in the back.
=> It looks like it is almost night time.
=> Some of the lights are orange.
=> The water sparkles.
=> It is clear water.
=> The sky has purple, pink, and a little yellow in it.
=> The buildings are made of stone.
=> There's a church and lots of houses.
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Hometown Christmas Memories, 2008
Sophia remembered:
=> In front of the house is a dalmatian.
=> A fence is around it and a dog is in it.
=> A tree's trunk is wrapped in white glittering lights.
=> Across the street there was a man getting out of his car with a briefcase and a heavy overcoat.
=> On the sidewalk, there's a lady who is a walking a medium-size dog. Next to the woman is a cat in mid-jump as it goes across the road.
=> The road is really slushy and you can see a little bit of it. What you can see is shiny so you can see the lights reflected off of it.
=> On the road is a red automobile.
=> The fence wit ha dog inside it - has a small bush with top tendrils wrapping around the fence.
=> The sky is a dark pink with peace and a bit of red. It's snowing so it's kind of cloudy.
Olivia remembered:
=> There's a fire dog in a yard.
=> There's a person walking a chihuahua and a cat streaking across the road.
=> There's another walking with her child to a house.
=> There's a red car driving down the road.
=> Almost all the houses have lights on them for Christmas.
=> There's a tree that has lights wrapped around its tree trunk.
=> A person is getting out of the car in their driveway.
=> The snow is very white and sparkles in the light.
=> There's a church in the background. There was a cross on top.
=> The sky is pink.
=> It is snowing.
=> The road had a glow on them.
The Village Lighthouse, 2002
Sophia remembered:
=> It looks like it's late spring. Things are still in bloom.
=> There are big potholes in the road with water in them.
=> It's evening because the clouds are pink, red, and fluffy.
=> Gulls are flying in after a day of hunting.
=> There's an older man walking a granddaughter down to the beach.
=> Houses are made out of birch and have thatched roofs.
=> There's a little girl sitting outside a home. She has a pretty yellow dress on.
=> There's a big shaggy dog and two cats looking at each other smugly.
=> An older man is coming around the corner.
=> Higher up the beach, there's a lighthouse and the light house keeper's family's house.
=> Out farther there are bigger rocks.
=> An older couple is coming into a house and they look happy.
Olivia remembered:
=> There's two trees by the stone house. They have purple and pink flowers on them.
=> There's a girl sitting on the stone step in front of a bakery. A couple feet away there's a Persian cat with two kittens by it.
=> There's a mother and son walking by the house.
=> There's a house with a hedge with orange flowers.
=> A fence has red roses growing on it.
=> There's a couple of rocks with water splashing up on the side.
=> There's lights in every house.
=> There's a tree with a house with red flowers near the lighthouse.
=> The sky is a light pink.
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Village Inn, 1993.
Sophia remembered:
=> There's a two-story white house. On the second story there are two windows with green shutters. Above each window someone has painted little sprigs of holly.
=> There are flowers everywhere.
=> There are pink trees that entwine the porch.
=> There are bushes in front of the house.
=> There's a nice looking orange tabby cat.
=> Behind the cat there's a dog with a white chest, muzzle, and paws. The rest of it is black.
=> It's twilight and the sky is a peachy color and a little fog is coming down from the trees.
=> From the house, there's an orange and reddish light coming out. It makes it look homey.
=> There's a lawn table and chairs on one side of the house. It's white.
Olivia remembered:
=> There are two cats.
=> There are lots of red flowers.
=> There are two tables with white chairs around them.
=> On one table, there's a pot of flowers.
=> One cat is an orange tabby cat. The other one is black and white.
=> It's dark out and looks like it is almost night time.
=> The sky is a peach color.
=> There's a white house. It has windows. There's a sign post and the sign says, "Welcome."
=> There are two stories in the house.
=> There were lots of squares in the window. They were lit up.
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Evening Carolers, 1991
Sophia remembered:
=> There's a house that has three stories. It's white.
=> On the front porch there are three people - a male, female, and a boy watching the carolers.
=> On one of the upper stories there's a man in a blue coat who is watching the carolers.
=> There's another person watching the snow fall.
=> Outside, behind the carolers, there's an older man with a walking stick and red scarf.
=> There's a little dog running around everybody.
=> There are big hedges and bushes around the house.
=> There's snow everywhere on the houses, bushes, and carolers.
=> One woman has a blue hat and dress.
=> Some people are wearing red mittens and scarves.
Olivia remembered:
=> There is a dog by an old man.
=> There's a man on the first floor looking out the window with a brown coat and tie.
=> All the carolers have a piece of paper to look at while they are singing the song.
=> There's a lamp post with a wreath on it.
=> There's a caroler who looks like Abraham Lincoln because he has a top hat and looks fancy.
=> There's a young lady wearing a red hat.
=> Most of the people have red scarves.
=> The trees look very dark with all the snow on them.
=> There are three chimneys with smoke coming out of them.
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