The "Painter of Light" might be dead, but his legacy lives on in kitschy paintings of Jesus kicking it with bald eagles. (No idea if this is an actual Kinkade piece. Would not be surprised.)

But he's also survived by a lot of dark secrets. Earlier this week we learned that Kinkade had been drinking heavily before he died. And now Kinkade's girlfriend, Amy Pinto-Walsh, wants to tell her story.

Not if Kinkade's family can help it: lawyers representing Kinkade's estranged wife and the Kinkade estate have filed a temporary restraining order against Pinto-Walsh. Simply put, the girlfriend knows too much.

The petition, to be heard by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Patricia M. Lucas, seeks to prohibit Pinto-Walsh from making statements or engaging in conduct that has the effect of defaming, criticizing, disparaging or discrediting Kinkade, Nanette Kinkade, or any company owned by Kinkade "to appear in a negative light or false light."

Pinto-Walsh has allegedly said that she would release confidential information about the Kinkade family, as well as personal photographs. (One imagines that any self-nudes Kinkade had would have been painted.) But perhaps most importantly, Pinto-Walsh "had access to trade secrets and commercially sensitive information."

Trade secrets, eh? While it's unclear exactly what Pinto-Walsh knows, this likely has something to do with Kinkade's ability to mass produce and make a shit-ton of money off subpar art. If the Kinkade family is able to keep Pinto-Walsh quiet, the next "Painter of Light" will have to discover the secret on his own.

[Image via AP]