Beauty is Everywhere

This month, I have decided to put together a review piece on a once very popular television show that I watched in my youth. I can remember turning on my box television, and seeing the curly haired man with his huge palate ready to paint. He talked to the camera like it was a real person, and held a conversation with it, making my young self feel as though he was talking directly to me. He painted beautiful landscapes, and I watched in awe. This man was the famous Bob Ross. I decided to revisit this show from my childhood, and find out if the curly headed man could still capture my imagination with his beautiful paintings.

Bob Ross, doing one of his famous landscape paintings.

For this review, I have chosen episode 15 from season one of Bob's show, called Bob Ross: Beauty is Everywhere. This episode is entitled "Tranquil Dawn".

The first thing I notice is that this show would be hard to follow for someone who had very basic knowledge of  painting techniques. The way Bob paints is very nonchalant. He does not provide much detail on how to paint, only the colors is he using and basic placement. Bob also works at such a pace that he completes a full painting in only thirty minutes. This would make it hard for painters at home to keep up, or to even hope to produce a similar result.

The thing I love most about this show is that it encourages creativity and imagination. Instead of telling viewers exactly what to put onto the canvas, Bob encourages viewers to make their own decisions about the painting, and to create something that is unique to them. I think that this is such an important aspect of art. Bob is also very good about giving helpful tips about brush cleaning, as well as brush loading, which is how paint is deposited into the bristles of the brush. He also has such a great personality, often telling stories about his personal life. In this episode, he speaks about young squirrels that he keeps in his home, and even provides a clip of one. This makes viewers, myself included, feel more connected to him, and it makes him more relate able.

Overall, this show is just as great as I remember it being. It still amazes me that some paint and brushes can create a beautiful picture that looks as though it came straight from the mountains. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is entertained by art, or is looking for a show that will help them paint by example. It may take some pausing, but I think that it's a great way to watch what is possible with painting.

Thank you for reading this month's post, and I hope you enjoyed my review of Bob Ross: Beauty is Everywhere. I hope you will visit my page again next month!