Above - that's Bob Ross. I suspect that most North Americans will find his face and afro hairstyle familiar. He was the talented star of an American art programme on television called "The Joy of Painting".
Bob approached blank canvases with quiet confidence and juvenile enthusiasm. Working swiftly - using a technique that is often known as "wet on wet" - he developed fantastic landscapes that were much influenced by the years he spent stationed in Alaska when he was a military man.
As he painted, he hummed and mused, chuckling to himself and encouraging his audiences to be bold in their use of paint and brushes and palette knives. He was such a cool guy that if he had been any more laid back he would have fallen over.
Born in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1942, he died 52 years later in Orlando, Florida - having been fatally afflicted by lymphoma.
Recently the BBC have been showcasing "The Joy of Painting" and I have watched several episodes. It is really mesmerising to see the landscapes develop. There's never any sense that Bob ever makes a mistake. He just breezes through - ad-libbing like a jazz musician - totally at one with his medium.
To see Bob Ross at play, go here:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOD-2UeYwI0 I apologise in advance for the ads that interfere with Bob's performance - just skip them.
"Mountain Splendour" by Bob Ross
Oh how I love Bob Ross! His show and his soft, gentle voice is the most relaxing program I have ever enjoyed. I remember watching him when he was still alive and he would often surprise the audience with the most unexpected thing. There were a few shows he did with a baby squirrel in his top pocket! As you said, watching him paint is truly mesmerizing even if you have no interest in learning to paint. His show has always been on our PBS (Public Television) network and they still show it today. Every so often Tom and I will still watch him. I'm glad you got to see his show.
ReplyDeleteDid he use the baby squirrel as a brush Bonnie?
DeleteHaven't watched that show, will do so now. 'Mountain Splendour' is a beautiful landscape, one sometimes wonders at what point does a painting become a photograph, it is the sharpness of the white that brings out the detail.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do get to see one or two of his shows Thelma. I find them curiously uplifting.
DeleteYears ago, Steve and I used to watch Bob Ross on TV here, aired by a rather obscure local TV station, thankfully undubbed. I have mentioned before that Steve was struggling with alcoholism. Watching Bob Ross always had a calming effect on him, almost hypnotic.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased to have stirred a happy memory of your life with Steve. As ADDY at "Alcoholic Daze" has made very clear, living with an alcoholic can be a hell of a struggle.
DeleteI have been watching him recently....amazing how his pictures come to life with his apparently random brush strokes.....or often as not " dabs"! I didn't know anything about him. Sad to find that he is no longer with us.
ReplyDeleteGiven all the crap that there is in the world right now, it is kind of comforting to watch "The Joy of Painting".
DeleteThis post reminded me of 'Nancy Kominsky' she did a similar thing in tHE 70's and prompted me to go out and buy all the oil paints etc. I did several reasonable paintings due to her tuition.
ReplyDeleteBriony
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Have you posted any of those old pictures on your blog Briony?
DeleteHe's more of a joke here due to his delivery. Also, his paintings are not regarded as "art."
ReplyDeleteI don't have the slightest idea what are is.
It is very sad that some people mock him. His programme was called "The Joy of Painting" not "The Joy of Art". He wasn't pretending to be a great artist - just a great painter.
DeleteA friend recommended this programme to me a while ago and I agree he was mesmerising. He transformeed a blank canvas into a picture in 30 minutes and makes it look so easy.
ReplyDeleteI love it when he cleans his brushes - there is even joy in that.
DeleteI've never heard of Bob Ross, but the style of painting is familiar. The guy I remember (Flexie) would do his paintings in minutes.
ReplyDeleteSpeed and confidence - that's what Bob Ross was about.
DeleteA couple of years ago a kid at our school dressed up as Bob for the Halloween Dance. I'm sure I posted pics of it on my blog, he was adorable!
ReplyDeleteThe guy is an American legend. If he had lived he would have made a better president than the 45th one.
DeleteOh I didn't know he'd died.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching BBC 4.
I find him mesmerizing and very relaxing.
He was so talented.
Sorry to have been the bearer of bad news Christina.
DeleteI know he makes it look so easy. But I will bet you a fiver that each work that he did for his show had been practiced more than once. I do admire his work although it is not my "cup of tea", so to speak. Too realistic for me.
ReplyDeleteThe end products are not to my taste either PT but I admire his consummate skill and his cool, individualistic approach to each canvas.
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