Gazing by Thomas Kinkade ~ Robert Girrard Collection, Published January 2006 - I don’t think it’s a historical accident that Impressionist painting began in France. There are distinctive French vistas that are so lyrical, so vibrantly drenched in radiant light, that they virtually compel the brush to dance over the canvas with the verve of a Renoir or Manet.

Gazing takes us to just such an exquisite French locale. A lithe, graceful young lady, dressed in white chiffon and wearing a bonnet, gazes out across a glittering lake toward a distant village. She stands under a single, slender tree. The basket she carries suggests some forgotten purpose; for the moment, she is entirely absorbed in the vista that captures her gaze.

The mood is one of breathless anticipation. It is not only the girl who holds her breath in order to enter into the perfect tranquility of the moment; it is us as well. As she gazes at far horizons, we, in turn, gaze at her, hoping to join in her beautiful world.

I adopted my Impressionist persona, and developed the vivid, animated style so that I could create poetic effects that lift my audience beyond the mundane world we live in. Here, we can join a young girl gazing at a timeless vista.

Key Points

1.GAZING has been released in an edition size of 495.

2. Unique and romantic framing has been developed exclusively for the Robert Girrard Collection, designed especially to complement these impressionistic images.

3.GAZING was painted in the plein air style, outdoors, embracing the light and color of the open air. The mood is one of breathless anticipation, as the blythe young lady stares expectantly into the distance.

4. One can easily see the influence of great French Impressionists such as Claude Monet during this exploratory time in Thom's career. In GAZING, the scene and the romantic nature of the subject make one imagine that Thom was painting in the very footsteps of this great French master.

5. Thomas Kinkade painted under the brush name of Robert Girrard during the period of 1984-1989. These highly valued and collectible images have only recently been made available to the public, and only in very limited quantities.