A couple of years back I bought this here 16-piece Bob Ross painting kit for my wife. She actually makes lovely abstract paintings, but she’s self-taught mostly. The Bob Ross kit was part of a WGBH public TV fundraiser, so I went ahead and made the big donation. I thought she’d have fun with it, and maybe get a new trick or two up her sleeve.
It turns out, my wife can’t stand Bob Ross’s paintings.
I mean, they’re more “decorative art” than “art art”. Agreed. But I just love his instructional videos. I watched them even as a kid because they were so soothing. That’s before anyone ever knew or talked about ASMR. Sometimes people call Bob Ross the original ASMRtist.
I still watch his videos all the time on YouTube. I find them mesmerizing.
I’m going to take the kit into my wife’s studio and give it a shot. I have zero artistic ability, when it comes to visual art. But why not give it a try? Hopefully it will be fun, whatever the final product turns out to be.
One thing that I wish… Ross always painted Alaskan-inspired landscapes. It seems like all of his mountains are pointy “new” mountains. I wish he gave more tips for painting elderly east coast Appalachian-type mountains. Maybe I’ll figure it out. Or not.
This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for the opportunity to try new things. I’m grateful for teachers and instructors. I’m grateful for a little free time now and then. I’m grateful for a sunny day like it is today. I’m grateful for my wife. I’m even grateful for Bob Ross.
Fool of Spirit 