Skip to main content

Bob Ross in a different light


I have always admired painters.  I myself am horrible at it. Perhaps I don’t have the painter’s vision to draw something that will resemble anything.  I prefer the minimalist approach—I can paint a slash of green on the page, believe it is minimalist and call it good!

A few days ago, I was looking at a painting that my husband’s Aunt Dorothy created. It’s a humble barn in the middle of a green field with a royal blue sky background. I am glad to have a tangible memory of her.

I remembered before she got ill, she would sit and paint while watching the show Bob Ross The Joy of Painting on PBS.

She would laugh when he would say things like “You know me,I’ve gotta put in a big tree”  Sometimes, she would talk back to him on the television, agreeing with him that a happy cloud needs to be added.

I found this all confusing—Dorothy always struck me as a strong, pragmatic, full of spit and vinegar, no-nonsense woman. I found Bob Ross to be an odd fellow, to say the least! Yet, here she was avidly watching a quiet, gentle, hippie kind of guy and getting a kick out of him!

At the time, my husband was a maintenance tech at the apartment complex she lived in. He made it a point to go visit her at least once a week on his lunch breaks and paint with her. Just like Bob Ross, she was very encouraging to him, talking up his hidden talent.  

One day when I visited her with Chris, she told me about his latest painting session a few days prior. She gruffly pointed out to him that he was painting the landscape like he was slapping paint on a wall (it was good to see the old Dorothy emerge!)  Chris admitted he was preoccupied with work and what he had to do next once his lunch break was over. Dorothy concluded he had to shut out the outside world, or not paint that day.  She held fast that painting was to be relaxing, not a chore.

Afterwards, I began to watch Bob Ross and slowly, I began to see his appeal.  I got used to his soft, breathy voice. I even laughed at his endless chatter of his tree friends living on the side of the mountain he was painting.  I began to listen to the meaning behind his rambling words. He did offer a gentle view of the world, different from the harsh reality outside. To this day, I am encouraged by his words "There are no mistakes,just happy accidents”

I realize now the allure he had for Dorothy. She had had enough reality (she grew very ill towards the end with many serious diseases) and was drawn to his simple yet profound words and attitude.

I like to think she’s up there in Heaven, Bob Ross’ star pupil, painting wonderful landscapes where the happy trees and clouds reside.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What’s your top ten?

Lately, I have been watching many top ten lists on You Tube.  It started with viewing watchmojo.com  with my teenage son.  We shout out what we think should be number one best video game or worst villain. He has been inspired since then to create his own countdowns. I have also stumbled across Matthew Santoro’s channel  and his show has also been added as a favorite.   Back in my day, top 10 lists were relegated to the David Letterman Show .  Now, I can watch as many top 10 lists as I please.  Yea, technology!! Taking a queue from my son, below is my countdown to my top 10 reasons why I watch Top 10 Lists: 10. The facts are listed in short tidbits that you don’t feel overwhelmed and able to retain the information.   For instance, I learned that we share a considerable amount of our DNA with bananas. Therefore, I have concluded it’s not a big insult to call someone a “banana”.  9. Goodness knows I have turned on YouTube during ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Negative energy in pages

Have you read a book that affected you? I remember a few years back a co-worker had this glossy book at her desk. I looked at its cover, which I found curious. It depicted a calming beach scene with a shark fin prominently in the ocean distance. The novelty of this book was it contained sayings that at first appear positive, for instance “If at first you don’t succeed…” and end it with negative words “…don’t waste your energy trying again.” As I flipped through the pages, I found the sayings amusing, clever and stinging. She let me borrow it so I could read it cover to cover. When I took it home and read a few pages, I began to feel an emotionally heaviness fall upon me. Generally speaking, I see myself as an optimist—I try not to let too many things get me down. However,  after reading a few pages of this book, a dark cloud of depression loomed over me. I decided to quit reading the book—it wasn’t like I was under any obligation to finish it! The very next day, I gla...
1 comment
Read more

Found: a change of perspective

There have been times I've been searching for a lost item—be it my car keys or my shoes—I can’t find it for the life of me. I tear the house apart, and doggedly quiz my family (Are you sure you didn't see them? Really, really?) After a fruitless search, I feel very frustrated, throw my hands up and quit looking. After a while, I retrace my steps--I do need to find these items, especially if I’m heading out the door! Inevitably, I find the item only when I search differently. For instance, when looking for my car keys, if I dug my hand through my purse, I now need to dump all of the contents out.  If I've been looking underneath the bed for my shoes from the left hand side, I switch to the right. It got me thinking how this new approach is relative to life experiences. Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in looking at a problem one way that with a fresh pair of eyes, it can be view as an opportunity. For example, a fender bender is a tragedy when it occurs. The look of the ...
Post a Comment
Read more