"Bob Ross: The Happy Painter" — A review of the biography of the legendary television painter

[Dark Qiviut]

From 1982 to 1994, Bob Ross produced thirty-one television series based on alla prima, a method that allows painters to paint wet paint on top of each other, particularly thin paint over thicker oil paint. At the start of each show, the canvas will look blank or dull, mostly a white canvas (a black canvas at times). Less than thirty minutes later, Ross paints a beautiful masterpiece. But for him, there needed to be a start. This is the review for the biography of Bob Ross, called Bob Ross: The Happy Painter.

A Brief Background

This biography describes Bob Ross's early life in his homeland of Florida. He was born on October 29, 1942, his father named Jack and his mother name Ollie in Daytona Beach, a small city in Florida at the time. But he grew up mostly in the Orlando area, and he eventually had a half-brother, Jim, after Ollie and Jack divorced. Life for Ross during his younger years was very difficult, according to the PBS-sponsored biography; the family wasn't very wealthy at all, and he had a lot of trouble keeping up the schoolwork as a result.

During one Joy of Painting episode, he told a story about being in a "chicken farming" course when he was at school. The course required him to raise a chicken and eventually kill it at the end of the semester. According to Ross, he intentionally failed the course because he grew attached to the chicken and couldn't kill him.

When Ross said he spent nearly half of his life in the military, he really did. At the age of eighteen, Ross joined the Air Force. During his first brief marriage, he had a son, Steve, and would eventually gain custody of him. During a day "in January" (Series 8, Episode 13), 20-year-old Ross and Steve were transfered to Alaska where he "worked as a medical base technician" in Fairbanks. While in Alaska, he met what would be his second wife, Jane, who was a civiian worker there.

To make ends meet, Ross worked as a bartender. In addition, he started to paint traditionally. Utilizing the atmosphere in Alaska that would eventually become his most used subject in Joy of Painting, Ross would paint traditionally on any material he could find, such as kettles and pots, and sell them in the bar.

Then while working there, the bar switched to a public television station, and an episode similar to this came up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTcBlM3ZVGQ

The instructor in that clip is Bill Alexander, a former World War II veteran on the German side turned painter. Alexander hosted The Magic of Oil Painting, a television painting series that would go on and win an Emmy Award. The method Alexander taught on his show was the wet-on-wet technique. This was the method Bob Ross was looking for, because it would allow him to put up all of his ideas onto the canvas before they escape. And for several years, Bob Ross would actually be an art instructor for Alexander's Magic Art Company.

People Interviewed

During the biography, plenty of people interviewed, discussed personal experiences with Bob Ross, and shared their admiration for him. Examples include Annette Kowalski (one of the people responsible for running The Joy of Painting and more famous for painting florals), a cameraman named Richard Collins, and his former sister-in-law named Nancy Cox.

Each person interviewed discussed Bob's life, and their stories were briefly yet beautifully told. There feelings were sincere, poignant, and praiseful towards the late painter.

Why It's Great?

This would not be a review without describing why it is so fantastic. And while I am a huge Bob Ross fan and painter during my free time, this biography is tremendous for several reasons.

1. So many sincere stories are told. Each person interviewed described their joy for the show, especially the people behind the scenes. Annette and Walt Kowalski told stories about Ross throughout most of the biography, such as how she and Ross met and their introduction changed their lives forever. It was not just Kowalski's stories that were told, but also former WIPB station manager, Jim Needham. WIPB was the public television station in Muncie, Indiana, where Ross hosted The Joy of Painting from 1983 to 1994 (Series 2 to 31).

By the way, if you ever go onto the Bob Ross website, you will notice that the series on DVD and the How-To books are only sold from Series 2 to 31. This biography tells viewers why clearly and simply, and there are two (or three, if you want to) REALLY good reasons.

2. So many secrets regarding the production of the show and Bob's life are revealed here. Some secrets are short, while some are described step by step. Some examples include the method of putting the paintings from the television show into the How-To books, the all-black studio, (in the beginning) how Ross loss a digit of his left index finger, his afro, and how Ross eventually created his own product line. These pieces never became long-winded, allowing the biography to flow from one point to another without becoming jarring to the viewer.

When watching the early series (Series 2 to 6), Bob Ross used a completely different product line. Those products came from Bill Alexander's Magic Art Company. Beginning in Series 7, Ross introduced his product line, and this biography told viewers how that happened.

3. Stories regarding Ross were not the only ones told. Actors, hosts of other shows (Phil Donahue particularly), and other Bob Ross Instructors described their feelings on the wet-on-wet technique. One of them admitted to being absolutely frightened as he was using the signature palette knife on the canvas for the first time.

These stories are also what Ross and his friends felt was the biggest purpose for The Joy of Painting: the instant success as a painter. These purposes strike me as a painter who utilizes this very same method in both acrylics and oils. Ross felt that anybody could paint, and his moral was mentioned several times in the biography and clips from the show. This moral is personal for all ages, and it was said and demonstrated simply. The narrator even mentioned the criticisms surrounding the user-friendly technique at one point.

One clip from an early series, Series 2; Episode 4, talked about a man telling him while he was demonstrating in a mall that he was not able to paint because he was color blind. In response, Ross created a winter scene using only gray tones.

4. The music fits, too. Often, music is playing in the background, especially when the main narrator is talking. The music is soft and gentle, in character of Ross's soothing voice. When it was happy, it became upbeat. During rough or sad situations, the music slowed down. The music was a crucial addition that helped convey targeted moods in the biography.

5. Lastly, the story itself was beautiful. The biography tells the long, beautiful story of Bob Ross and how he affected so many lives. Ross and his show influenced millions of people in the U.S. and around the world. His tranquil voice is so iconic that the Japanese did not translate his words. With The Joy of Painting celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year, the biography represents the history of Ross's life along with the influence The Joy of Painting has on people. So the biography has a slight personal tone towards JoP fans like myself.

Conclusion

Bob Ross: The Happy Painter celebrates the life of the legendary painter. Born in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1942, he underwent hardships as an adolescent. But while working in the Air Force, his twelve years in Alaska mesmerized him and allowed him to turn into a world of painting. After discovering The Magic of Oil Painting and Bill Alexander, he became an art instructor and eventually went on to become on of the most well-known television artists in the world. Ross has been a gigantic influence for millions of people since his show went on the airwaves in 1982. Although Ross passed away from lymphoma on Independence Day, 1995, he still lives on in The Joy of Painting and fans alike. On behalf of the Bob Ross fanbase, happy painting, and God Bless.

[Bria]

Oh whoa, I remember watching his painting sessions on TV as a small child. I would get so entranced at his work and it really inspired me to, well, be creative and draw.

[Dark Qiviut]

Oh whoa, I remember watching his painting sessions on TV as a small child. I would get so entranced at his work and it really inspired me to, well, be creative and draw.

It was the same for me, too, both Ross and Mark Kistler.

But Kistler isn't part of the subject, so I'll end that part. Watching Bob Ross paint as a nine-year-old (in 1996) influenced me to go out and try to paint. When I look at some of my older paintings, they looked really bad, but well, they were when I was a kid. And as I got older, I strived to understand the mediums more and get better. The ability to succeed in painting is what I love about this technique. He does it with his laid-back personality, and you can understand what he's saying very well.

I'm still a devoted fan of the show as a 24-year-old, and the series has never gotten old.

[RotonSan]

I've always wanted to learn to paint. Bob Ross specially used “wet on wet method” for his oil painting. I have tried that method several time inspired by Bob Ross but the result was not satisfactory.

 

Bob Ross, the great artist. I started watching Bob Ross in 90s and I tell you this: this guy can truly paint, I mean truly paint. If anyone really want to learn painting he must need an instructor just like we go to school and college and I think there is no greater instructor than Bob Ross at this time. So buy Bob Ross DVD series either from eBay or from artistsupplysource.com along with his painting tolls and you are all set. You don't even have to paint...just listen to his soothing voice. A lot of times, I just listen to Bob talking in the background while I do something else. He's just so soothing to listen to.