"Happy Little Trees", a body painting homage to Bob Ross by NY Artist Trina Merry
Following the inauguration and all the chaotic social media chatter, Merry turned to the most peaceful man she could imagine- her latch key babysitter, Bob Ross! In a true New York winter experience, she binge watched all 52 of the “Joy of Painting” episodes available on Netflix, performing several of the works live on Facebook and Instagram. What was discovered was one woman's way to travel through the division as a country by creating a visual dialogue.
"So many of the disagreements between the red and blue states are because the issues are on the front door steps of the blue states. So I thought, what if I took these contemporary areas of debate- the things I was seeing on the street of New York City and in the newspapers- directly to the little cabin in the woods? This is a series as soft spoken as Bob Ross himself and one way I’ve approached the election with humor and gentleness." -Trina Merry
Bob Ross's Legacy and Impact on Artists and Contemporary Culture
Officially known as Robert Norman Ross, Bob Ross was an iconic artist who not only introduced some of the elements in modern art but also left everyone entertained. Bob Ross created and hosted The Joy of Painting, one of the television programs that the PBS aired from 1983 to 1994 in Latin America, United States, Europe and Canada. He possessed innate painting talent and cerebral personality that left many of his followers laughing all through the sessions he ever aired a TV program.
The Legacy Bob Ross Left Behind
Bob Ross’s portraits are part of contemporary culture. Tons of his images have been used in video games, shows, and films. His image has been spoofed in video games such as the Family Guy and films like the YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History. In October 2012, Google celebrated his 70th birth anniversary using a Google Doodle, which depicted him painting the letter ‘’G’’ with a background landscape. In 2015 during the launching of the Twitch Creative, Twitch held a 9-day marathon about The Joy of Painting series by Bob Ross. Also, an addition to his legacy was the addition of his series Beauty is Everywhere to the Netflix Lineup.
These 30 minute episodes were got from his seasons 22, 21 and 20 of The Joy of Painting Series. The New York Times conducted research to know more about his paintings and they discovered that they were held by the Kowalskis. Upon this discovery and extreme pressure from Ross’s Fans, the Smithsonian American Art Museum took a few of Ross’s paintings, which they placed on exhibition at the Museum.
How His Legacy and Portraits Impacted Modern Artists?
Bob Ross used the wet-on-wet oil style in most of his paintings. The style is about adding more paint over wet pain instead of waiting for hours for a layer to dry before you add another one. His painting programs employed the use of simple colors and tools, ensuring viewers didn’t have to invest a lot to paint their favorite portraits. By the use of this technique, which was then not used by many painters, he was able to paint clouds, water, trees, and mountains within seconds.
All of his paints had three versions. He painted the first version before taping, which was used as a reference. The second version was painted after the filming and program, while the third one was painted as a smarter reflection of the second version.
Bob Ross’s painting style and portraits have been emulated by a whole lot of modern painting artists. For instance, Trina Merry, a renowned New York and internationally celebrated body painter recently did a series of 62 Bob Ross paint-a-long paintings on people. He is certainly one of those hobby watercolorists who taught the art of painting pretty colors and plants. He never charged for his paintings and that explains why most people got to learn the art of using watercolors to create impressive portraits. Some like Trina Merry is widely celebrated for adding uniqueness to the technique Bob Ross used so they can create impressive portraits on humans.
