That bushy hair, that mellow voice, and always the quiet encouragement that anyone can paint "happy little trees." Such was the basic winning formula behind Bob Ross and his PBS show, "The Joy Of Painting."
The iconic TV host and landscape painter is the inspiration for a quirky art show that opens in Vancouver on Saturday. Named after a favourite Ross saying, "Happy Little Clouds," is a fundraiser for the Positive Women's Network, which supports women living with HIV.
Curator Christina Chant and some friends started to brainstorm someone well-known that they could build a show around — and came up with Bob Ross.
"He’s really inclusive, really fun, encourages everyone to participate to make art and so it was a perfect fit," she explained to The Huffington Post B.C. "We accept submissions from anybody. It doesn’t matter what their skill level is, if they identify as an artist or not. We just like the participation."
Among the artworks is a velvet painting that has the Northern Lights painted on the afro of Ross, a Manga version of the painter and a stained glass landscape.
Chant, who is a nurse educator at a community health clinic in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, says that some artists who sell their pieces will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Positive Women's Network.
"The Joy of Painting" aired on PBS from 1983 to 1994. Ross died in 1995.
"Happy Little Clouds: A Bob Ross Art Show" runs Feb. 22 until March 23, 2014 at The Fall Tattooing and Artists Gallery.
Bob Ross Vancouver Art Show
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