Bob Ross is My Homeboy
*PSST…check out my reel on IG!
For the last several months, I’ve been working on finding ways to consistently ground myself and practice mindfulness. That includes everything from sitting down and following guided meditations to going outside and jumping up and down barefoot in the grass. One activity that I’ve absolutely fallen in love with is coloring with alcohol markers [which I’ll do a post on in the future, but in the meantime, I have a separate Instagram for it if you want to check it out].
When I want to completely zone out, I grab my markers, pull up the Bob Ross Joy of Painting livestream, and color. I’ve always had a surface-level knowledge of Bob—thanks to his signature look, catchphrases, and the fact that he had a squirrel living in his pocket—but actually watching him work has given me such a great appreciation and fondness. I’d already written him into one of my books, but now I plan to have a character who uses him as a spirit guide/mentor, so to speak.
I tell you all of this because when an ad for a Bob Ross exhibition called “Bringing Back the JOY”—the largest exhibition ever seen globally under one roof— showed up on my social media feeds, I knew I had to go.
And that’s how I ended up driving 1.5 hours to NC Wesleyan University in Rocky Mount.
The exhibition was set up in the Mims Gallery of the Dunn Center and consisted of Bob’s paintings lining the walls, along with Joy of Painting episodes playing on a tv screen (which lulled the unnecessary security guard to sleep), and a very small merch section. There were a lot of older people slowly making their way around, but to be fair, I went during the day in the middle of the week.
I spent about forty-five minutes studying the paintings and reading the accompanying tags, which told the episode he painted it in and included a quote from said episode. The quotes were overwhelmingly positive—it’s Bob, so of course they were!—and talked about doing what makes you happy and being able to do whatever you set your mind to.
My favorite paintings from the exhibit included the following:
“Don’t forget to make all these little things individuals—all of them special in their own way.”
“You have to allow the paint to break to make it beautiful.”
“You can have anything you want in the world—once you help everyone around you get what they want.”
After I got my fill of the paintings, I bought a t-shirt, wrote a note of appreciation, and became acquainted with an older lady who insisted on taking my photo with the Bob cutout. In addition to telling me to get closer and closer because she wanted him to “look like a real man,” she recounted her daily schedule, helped me get into my coat, and chastised me for not getting my flu shot sooner. The world needs more people like her.
My Five Fave Bob Ross Facts
- Bob permed his hair only to save money on haircuts and hated his signature ‘fro.
- Bob was an Air Force Master Sergeant and because he had to act mean and tough in the military, he decided once he left he wouldn’t raise his voice again.
- Bob made three almost exact copies of each painting per episode!
- Bob could record an entire 13-episode season in just over TWO DAYS.
- Bob did Joy of Painting for free; his income came from lessons, how-to books, art supplies, etc.
‘Til next time!
