Last night I attended the “Painting w/ Bob Ross” event. I thought it would be a nice event to attend after a pretty stressful couple of weeks. The night started out with a flurry of distribution of paints and paintbrushes that I didn’t even end up using. We followed a video of Bob Ross on YouTube, and we had to pause the 25 minute video several times in order to keep up with his steps. Sometimes, some of the things he would say made me question his sanity, but keep in mind that I have nothing but respect for Bob Ross.
While Bob’s voice is arguably one of the most calming sounds to exist, I was sort of stressed the whole time, trying to follow his painting and imitating it to the best of my ability. Unfortunately my artistic ability is non-existent. I was pretty disappointed when I couldn’t replicate some of the techniques that Bob Ross used to create the illusion of trees in the distance. I think that it’s important to remember that Bob Ross was a professional painter and spent a large chunk of his life performing his craft. On the other hand, I’m not an art major for a reason. It’s simply disappointing when I have a vision of what I want to create and can’t execute it in the end.
Sorry to hear it seems you didn’t have the best time at the painting event — I definitely understand what you’re saying about questioning Bob Ross’s sanity as he gives his instructions for painting. It’s hard to create a painting in 25 minutes, even with someone as calm as Bob Ross instructing you — especially for someone who’s never painted before. “Having a vision of what to create and not being able to execute it in the end” is also a problem that even the most experienced artists face, so you’re not alone there either. I would say don’t give up, and give painting another chance if you ever feel like it — you might surprise yourself. Like you said, it’s important to remember that he was a professional painter.