Bob ross is my inspiration: an amazing painter, a wonderful, and my role model. He was a famous American painter who had his own T.V. show and was loved by Americans and many other people across the world for many years. Even though he is no longer alive, his legacy lives on in the hearts of painters across the world who admired his work. I grew up watching Bob Ross paint; even though he died before I was born, his life is one that I will never forget.

Bob Ross changed my life at an early age. My dad introduced him to me when I was really young. I remember when I was a little girl, I loved running around the house –reckless but happy. My family probably got annoyed by it, but I had to get my energy out somehow. I would run, and run, and run, and run but no one could do anything about it. No one could catch me. But as soon as I saw Bob Ross on the screen of my T.V. with his brownish-grey afro and deviant grin or heard his oh-so distinct voice crackling through the speakers, I would stop dead in my tracks to watch. Although I was probably only three or four years old, from the moment that I first saw Bob Ross paint I knew that I wanted to be just like him.

Watching Bob Ross paint was like seeing a magic show. It had to be some sort of optical illusion. I was memorized as he would dab the brush across the canvas and watch as a picturesque cloud would appear. How he could manage to create a perfect forest or mountain or sunset in a matter of minutes astonished me almost to the point of disbelief. If I hadn’t been watching him paint them I’m sure I would’ve mistaken all of those countless paintings for photographs. Bob Ross had no problem creating a world of his own, and he did it over and over and over again- never ceasing to amaze me. I remember making a game out of watching the show with my dad; we would always try and guess which object would next ‘magically appear on the canvas.

I’ve always loved watching Bob Ross paint, not just because of how spectacular his paintings were, but because the way that he painted them was extraordinary. He revolutionized painting with a new technique, but all of those facts were never important to me. I was just happy to sit back and watch the magic happen. Anyone who has ever watched Bob Ross paint would understand. There Is no telling how the landscape appears on the canvas, It just does. He made each and every painting look so simple and effortless. I never would have actually thought it was though, until I tried it for myself.

I was five years old when I decided to start my ‘art career’, spending hours every day, coloring in countless coloring books, making sure that every single page of every single one was pristine. In my mind, I needed to be like Bob Ross. It brought me so much joy knowing that I was getting closer every day. Becoming like him soon became less of a goal than an obsession, something I needed to do to be complete.
Watching Bob Ross had always been sort of a family thing. It was something we made time for no matter what. It was nice to finally have something to be passionate about. It meant more to me than anything ever had before. I don’t think anyone realized it. I’m not even sure that I did. My whole life I had wanted to be as good of a person as him . I wanted to be able to appreciate the small things. Never mind painting, Bob Ross taught me to be the person that I am today.

My family and I would watch The Joy of Painting every day of the week, but it wasn’t long before my mom and sister began to lose interest. They soon stopped watching the show all together. I was hurt at first, How could they just give up on something that meant so much to me? The again, I wasn’t all that surprised –my dad and I had always been the more creative ones anyways. I never ever would have thought anything would ever come between me and my dad watching Bob Ross though. But he had work and I had school and I guess it’s safe to say that our lives just got in the way. It wasn’t long before Bob Ross was just a distant memory.

I lost touch with the art world- and what’s even worse, I lost touch with myself. I became a normal person. I spent all of my time either at school or with my friends. I fought with my parents and I made mistakes. I had just about the same life as everyone my age, but what’s the fun in being normal. It didn’t take long for me to master wearing the façade of normalcy just about everywhere I went. That type of life is fine for tons of people but not for me. It had been years since I had even thought about Bob Ross. His face had become one that I could barely recognize even though the memory was lost. Every single piece of me was broken and I was just looking for someone to come around and put me back together again.

The best day of my life of my life was when I walked into my house to find my dad completely captivated by the television. The look on his face was one I knew all too well. The back of my head was turned to the T.V., but I could hear Bob Ross’ s oh-so recognizable soft voice crackling through the speakers. “Let’s paint a happy little tree right over here…. Oh, we better put on the other side too or the left half will get jealous!’ A lifetime of memories came flooding back to me, and I suddenly knew exactly who I was supposed to be I didn’t even have to ask My dad what he was watching but I did anyways.

“Oh you remember The Joy of Painting don’t you? You used to love this show”-He had no Idea.

“Of course I remember, dad.”-He had no idea how much it meant.

I remember stopping dead in my track and dropping the floor to watch, just as I had when I was little. I saw Bob Ross’s brownish-grey afro; he was wearing a deviant grin, and as always standing in front of a glorious painting. I had found Bob Ross and I was home. My paintings now are nowhere near as good as Bob Ross’s, and I can only dream of being half as good as him one day. I don’t know where I would be today if Bob Ross had never introduced me to the art world. Our painting styles are very different, but I know that I wouldn’t be the same person as I am today if it weren’t for him. I consider myself very lucky to have found painting. There are so many people that never do end up discovering what their true passion in life is. I can’t even begin to think of how lucky I am.

Bob Ross changed my life by inspiring me to be an artist without even knowing it. Will I ever give anyone else the same gift that Bob Ross gave to me?