Thomas Kinkade was known as the "Painter of Light" for his luminous landscape paintings featuring cozy cottages and gardens bathed in a warm, glowing light. He began painting these scenes in the 1970s as a way to recapture feelings of home and family. Kinkade's paintings quickly became enormously popular worldwide and he became one of the best-selling artists of all time. They are known for their sentimental and nostalgic depictions of idyllic scenes filled with light.