Andréa Fernandes
Bust ‘em Up Bobby: Bob Ross
by Andréa Fernandes - October 28, 2008 - 9:20 PM
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Since today would be Bob Ross’ 66th birthday, today’s “Feel Art Again” will feature the happy painter himself, at the request of reader hannah. After studying up on Ross’ life, try our Bob Ross quiz from our ‘80s Week back in April.

1. Bob Ross’ landscapes were influenced by his years spent in Alaska working for the U.S. Air Force. Ross spoke of the beauty of Alaska, saying, “Ooh, if you have never been to Alaska, go there while it is still wild. My favorite uncle asked me if I wanted to go there—Uncle Sam. He said if you don’t go, you’re going to jail. That is how Uncle Sam asks you.”

2. Teaching a quick-study technique on his 30-minute public television segments, Ross believed everyone possesses artistic talent and can become accomplished artists, given time, practice, and encouragement. He often told viewers, “We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy little accidents.”

3. The Joy of Painting, Ross’ show, has spread worldwide to be shown in Greece, Turkey, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Hong Kong, Colombia, and the UK. Ross described the popularity of his painting technique thusly: “We’re like drug dealers, come into town and get everybody absolutely addicted to painting. It doesn’t take much to get you addicted.”

4. Ross enjoyed painting because, “In painting, you have unlimited power. You have the ability to move mountains. You can bend rivers. But when I get home, the only thing I have power over, is the garbage.” Yet despite Ross’ lack of power outside of painting, IMDB lists his nickname as “Bust ‘em up Bobby.”

5. Sadly, both Ross and his second wife, Jane, died of cancer. Jane passed away in 1993, and Ross followed two years later, in 1995.

A larger version of Bob Ross’ “Autumn” is available here.

Fans should check out Bob Ross Incorporated and Happy Afro! (a fan site).

“Feel Art Again” appears every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You can e-mail us at feelartagain@gmail.com with artist suggestions or details of current exhibitions.

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Comments (11)

  1. I absolutely love Bob Ross and his happy little trees.

    Great article!

    posted by Aimee on 10-28-2008 at 10:23 pm

  2. i wish there was a DVD compilation of all his shows. I would put them on repeat just before I go to bed…

    Miss ya, Bobby

    posted by mt330404 on 10-28-2008 at 11:53 pm

  3. Thanks for doing this article; I love Bob Ross and look forward to seeing him on PBS all the time!

    posted by Reggie on 10-29-2008 at 12:54 am

  4. Paint a happy tree.

    My uncle is an artist, and he loves this guy.

    I do too, in fact i think its impossible to not like him.

    posted by Jösh on 10-29-2008 at 9:25 am

  5. I just know he smoked weed.

    posted by BassMan on 10-29-2008 at 10:44 am

  6. I loved Bob Ross because in one of his
    videos with his son he showed how to perform what he referred to as a
    Bushectomy. Talk about being able to
    predict the future!

    posted by JNDing on 10-29-2008 at 2:11 pm

  7. Oh Bob Ross, I have so many fond memories of you!

    My dad’s an artist and was actually trained by the Bob Ross school of painting. When I was a kid, I remember watching hours and hours of Bob Ross videos with my dad when he was training. After we watched the video, we would go paint together and those are some of my best memories. Bob Ross played an integral role in my growing up

    I credit my dad (and Bob Ross) for my love of all things artistic and my acceptance of “happy accidents”

    I miss you, Bob

    posted by KerriH on 10-29-2008 at 8:17 pm

  8. My dad DVRs Bob Ross. And has a Bob Ross tee shirt. Thanks for the article.

    posted by Julia on 11-1-2008 at 5:41 pm

  9. Who doesn’t love Bob Ross? Hopefully no one will ever forget him and his happy little trees. :)

    posted by Dawn on 11-4-2008 at 8:32 pm

  10. These are some of the best quotes. I wish I’d been older and had the chance to see his show more often.

    posted by Meister Jazz on 8-14-2009 at 7:19 pm

  11. I am great fan of Bob Ross. I learnt the painting art from TV shows in New York -WLC channels. I did not know the hidden gift in me. Salute to Bob whereever he is in the outer world.

    posted by Mridula on 11-26-2010 at 3:20 am

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