Thomas Kinkade Clearing Storms Lighthouse Light-Up Figurine – Bradford Exchange Collectible, 1999

Bradford Exchange Collectible Thomas Kinkade "Clearing Storms" light-up figurine

The yellow you see in the windows & in the lighthouse is it being lit up from the inside in the photos!!

• Works beautifully
• Such pretty warm glow
• Beautiful mahogany wood base
• I took photos of front and back so you could see angles
• Takes two AA batteries
• Excellent condition
• Will be packaged with so much care & love!

The collectible light-up figurine titled "Clearing Storms" by Thomas Kinkade was released in 1999.

The Personal Story Behind the Art

Words from Kinkade himself: "I believe that God speaks to His faithful in many voices—some intended for the ear, some for the eye, all for the heart. As a painter, my role is to interpret and clarify allegorical scenes that are rich with meaning. Clearing Storms is such a symbolic scene, charged with a message of hope that can give us the fortitude to go on.

Storms—dark, brooding, terrifying—are a part of all our lives. When we're in the grip of a storm, we may feel overwhelmed, powerless, abandoned by God. The meaning of Clearing Storms is that God's love is eternal, and, because of that, the dark times always pass.

The power of the waning storm is still evident in the wild, turbulent sea. But up in the sky, God's light has touched the clouds with myriad colors, transforming them into harbingers of hope, and overwhelming man's feeble attempt to light the darkness with the lighthouse.

A timid stream, which suggests to me an individual human life, makes its way to the great ocean. A gazebo provides refuge for the lighthouse keeper when storms have passed, where he can contemplate the wonder of it all in one of my favorite ways—drinking in the warmth from a cup of hot tea."

He also said about the series: "I love lighthouses. The severe, uncompromising life of service lived by lonely lighthouse keepers possesses a special dignity. Poised between the last outcroppings of land and the vast expanse of the ocean, the lighthouse has become a profound symbol of human life, poised as it is between the transitory and the eternal."

Clearing Storms is a universal message of hope and spiritual reassurance intended for everyone.

Thomas Kinkade painted this piece in September 1997 as the fourth installment in his Seaside Memories series. He described it as a symbolic scene charged with a joyous message. Kinkade explained that storms—dark, brooding, and terrifying—are a part of all our lives. When we are in the grip of a storm, we may feel overwhelmed, powerless, or even abandoned by God.

The meaning of Clearing Storms is that God's love is eternal, and because of that, dark times always pass. In the painting, God's light touches the clouds with a myriad of colors, transforming them into harbingers of hope. Kinkade noted that this divine light overwhelms man's feeble attempt to light the darkness with the lighthouse. He also included a "timid stream" in the foreground, which suggests an individual human life making its way to the great ocean. Kinkade often added a personal touch to the scene's narrative, imagining a gazebo in the painting that provides refuge for the lighthouse keeper once the storm has passed, where he can contemplate the wonder of it all while drinking a cup of hot tea.

Its Place in the Collection

This figurine is Issue #4 of the Guiding Lights Collection. This figurine was released in 1999, two years after the original painting was created. As the first piece, it completed the initial run of this specific nautical-themed music box series. While the Everett's Cottage collection focused on homes and family, this collection was dedicated entirely to lighthouses and seaside scenes, with each piece featuring a music mechanism to complement the visual theme of guidance through storms.

Physical Specifications

This tabletop figurine is a licensed collectible produced to bring the painting to life in three dimensions. It is crafted from porcelain (often described as fine china or bisque porcelain), hand-painted to mimic the rocky cliffs and ocean waves. It is a substantial tabletop piece, approximately 6 to 7 inches in height (including the lighthouse tower) and roughly 5 to 6 inches in width at the base.

Lighting Feature: This is a light up figurine. It is battery-operated (requiring 2AA batteries) and features an internal light that glows from both the lighthouse lantern room and the windows. The figurine features the iconic lighthouse perched on dark, jagged rocks with crashing waves at the base. The sky is sculpted to show the breaking storm clouds with hints of light piercing through. It has a felt-lined bottom to protect furniture and a switch on the base to activate the light. This piece is a visual experience, combining the glow of the light from both places to evoke the feeling of safety after a storm.