Wednesday, July 05, 2006

A Tribute

I remember well the day I flicked through the TV channels and came upon a public television program. It was my first introduction to Bob Ross and I was mesmerized by him. He appeared to have been caught in a time warp dating back to the 70's with a mane fashioned into an exaggerated "Afro." He spoke with a voice so gentle and hypnotic that I was lulled into a sense of peace. He maintained that anyone could paint and demonstrated with a knife and several brushes. Often he paused his painting to show a baby squirrel that had wondered into his yard. His love of nature was only equal to his love of painting. Thus, he incorporated the two. It was only in the last couple of years that I happened to read the information following the program. It stated that the program was "brought to you by the Bob Ross Memorial Fund." I was shocked as I never knew of his passing. He lost his battle with cancer at the age of fifty-three. What an inspiration he was and what a gentle spirit. I miss him.

6 comments:

melissa said...

Thanks for the memory.

SideShowMom said...

Yes, thank you for the lovely memory of a gentle artist! I watched him on weekends when I was trying to find my way in the world around drugs and bad relationships. Painting with him was an oasis!

Alanna Beckwith said...

Bob Ross, I'm sure, is in a 'happy little place' with 'happy little trees' and 'happy clouds'...Bob Ross is part of my childhood!

Tami said...

Bob Ross inspired my first and only weak struggling steps in to the world of art about 2 decades ago (until just recently). He made a huge impression on me, also at a time in my life when I was enduring a difficult marriage. God Bless him, may he be happily painting above the clouds!

suzanne cabrera said...

Very nice tribute. I always enjoyed the way he seemed to love what he did so much. I long to do this myself.

andrea joseph's sketchblog said...

I absolutley loved Bob too and was devastated to hear of his death. He was such a gentle soul and is missed by many - have you seen all the tribute sites? It just goes to show what a special person he was. Where was the picture taken?