Dorothy Discovers the Emerald City by Thomas Kinkade ~ Wizard of Oz™ Collection I - Published August 2010
    
Like most children of my era I was intrigued by The Wizard of Oz during its annual presentation on our TV screen. This adventure provided the ultimate daydream for a young artist whose imagination yearned to “follow the Yellow Brick Road”.

To recreate my passion for Oz in visual form, I utilized my imagination to journey beyond what had been created for the original movie. As is the case with my Disney paintings, each Oz painting will be an attempt to capture the essence of the entire movie in a single emotionally charged image.

In the first Oz painting we see Dorothy and friends as they view the fabled Emerald City for the first time. The familiar cast of characters is here – Dorothy, Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow -- as well as the Wicked Witch of the West, scary Winged Monkeys, and of course the Munchkins. We can even see Glinda the Good Witch floating in her transparent sphere of light, as though to bless the journey of the travelers.

I envision this painting as the first piece in what I will refer to as the “Oz Octet”, a collection of eight epic paintings intended to celebrate great moments from this classic film. The eight paintings in this collection will present a monumental challenge to my abilities as a story teller and picture maker. Yet like my Disney collection, I expect this collection to flourish as collectors discover that each painting builds upon the next. Dorothy Discovers the Emerald City is a panorama of the great places from the film. Though while watching the movie none of us can be entirely sure where the Wicked Witch’s Castle is located in relation to the Emerald City, I have placed it distinctly in the foreground suggesting a barren land that must be traversed to encounter the delights beyond. Like The Wizard of Oz™ film, my painting presents the raw emotions of myth and daydream as they collide with wondrous imagination.

For those collectors who are ready to engage my Oz collection, rest assured that Dorothy Discovers the Emerald City is the starting point of an epic adventure in a land “over the rainbow”.

Key Points

1.  In June of 2008 The Wizard of Oz was ranked #1 on the American Film Institute’s list of the 10 greatest films in the Fantasy genre. A recent study claimed that this is the most watched movie in film history, largely due to the number of television screenings each year as well as video which has enabled children of every generation to see it.

2.  Dorothy Discovers the Emerald City is the first work of what will become Thom’s “Oz Octet”.

3.  Thom utilized his imagination to journey beyond the imagery of the original film and recreated how Oz might have appeared employing modern special effects.

4.  In the painting you’ll notice that Toto is the only character that reacts to the Wicked Witch, as the others are distracted by the awing influence of the Emerald City as they view it for the first time.

5.  Dorothy Discovers the Emerald City, as with Thom’s Disney collection, attempts to capture the quintessence of the complete film in one panoramic image.

6.  Thom has hidden 88 dedication hearts to embrace the love of his mother Mary Anne- who celebrated her 88th birthday this year.

7.  Look closely along the Yellow Brick Road, to find the Apple Tree that said “Ouch”, when Dorothy tried to pick an apple off of it.

8.  Look even closer to find a hidden toucan in the tree that the Wicked Witch of the West is hiding behind.