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As I look back over my development as an artist, I come to realize how important the trip Nanette and I and our two oldest girls made the English Cotswolds early in our marriage really was to my self-discovery.
The rustic charm of the thatch-roofed cottage like A Winter's Cottage, the solidity of their massive stone walls, the way a golden, welcoming light poured through their ample windows- it all came to represent "the simple life" for me, long before I began to use that phrase to express my philosophy of living.
I varied my painting technique on that trip as well. I've come to recognize that A Winter's Cottage is one of my early examples of my Impressionist style. It may even be said that my Impressionist persona, Robert Girrard, made his first appearance in the English countryside.
I painted Nanette and Merrit posing in the snowy yard. They are emboldened by the nearby A Winter's Cottage to face the bracing challenge of the storm. The comfort and security of family life allow one to embrace the tests the world offers with courage and spirit.
~~Thomas Kinkade
Mid City Gallery
1253 US Hwy 62W
Greenville, Kentucky 42345
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