What ‘The Joy of Painting’ Taught Me
By the time I started taking art classes late in elementary school, I was painting landscapes that blew the teacher away. He couldn’t understand how I had become so proficient at painting without any classical training. It wasn’t that I possessed any kind of extraordinary talent – but I did harbor a secret. Every Sunday morning, I woke up early to join Bob Ross for a lesson in “The Joy of Painting.”
That PBS show influenced my artistic style a great deal, and Bob was just the sort of abstract landscape painter who could teach a hopeless student like me. He had so much passion for the art form that I couldn’t help but be transfixed. Even if most of his wilderness scenes ended up looking strikingly similar, painting along with him gave me a true appreciation for the diligence and artistry behind the craft.