We can all get a rather idyllic view of the Log cabin. It usually sits in a misty wreathed wood, the smell of wood smoke hanging in the air as the last light of the day slowly creeps its way through the trees bringing a golden glow to the cabin and the first rays of dawn illuminating the land around you and the river next to the cabin bursting with life and light as it glints off the ripples. What better way to spend your time than in this idyllic dreamland and you can with Northern Ireland Log Cabins.
Log Cabins Northern Ireland, Wales and the rest of the UK can produce feelings and images similar to those created by the North American artist Thomas Kinkade. I’ve used the word “pulp” there but that’s a little unfair in my view but it’s certainly the view held by art critics. There is a reason why Kinkades work sells and it sells a lot. It’s not just the prints or “limited edition” runs of five thousand it’s the fact that it appears on jigsaws and mouse mats and mugs. It’s an enterprise of art and it annoys “proper” artists. There were even accusations that Kinkade did not actually paint them all but hired a team of artist that he could direct with the paints so that he could produce more. It was still his design and vision though. As with anything that is popular it become ridiculed. Kinkade himself acknowledges this by declaring himself a one of the most controversial artist. He doesn’t produce Avant garde work but it is his opposite approach to the norms of the art world that set him apart. He certainly won plenty of awards to satisfy any artist. One statistic suggests that one in twenty homes in the United States owned a copy of his work.
What Kinkade did was capture light. His paintings, which generally feature a homely log or stone cabin nestled by a river at some point in the season, are deeply restful and idyllic. It would be far to say that they are exaggerations of an ideal that probably doesn’t exist but there are quite beautiful works that convey a sense of peace and tranquillity that makes you truly believe that you could even be there. They generally have titles like “Coming Home” or “A warm welcome” as well.
