Bob Ross’ cult status continues to grow online, with old episodes of the iconic artist’s PBS program “The Joy of Painting” available for streaming on Netflix and YouTube. Now, people are heading to public libraries with 2-inch brushes in tow.
Sarah Burris is helping organize events where patrons paint along with Ross while watching on a large screen for the Northwest Regional Library system in Panama City, Florida.
The events’ success so far has been a happy little accident.
“We were going to start having really small classes, 10 [people] per class,” Burris tells Here & Now‘s Robin Young. “We had to boost the class up to 20 per class instead, and we still have people on the waiting list.”
The paint-alongs — which started in Utah and have spread to other states — are a “calming” experience, Burris says, as Ross gently coaches participants along with his trademark voice and palette of phthalo blue, yellow ochre and Van Dyke brown.
“I think people enjoy that they’ve been able to accomplish something they may not have expected to be able to do,” Burris says.
“Everyone leaves the program with smiles on their face.”
Paint Along With Bob Ross
Digital producer Jack Mitchell contributed to this story.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA4NjIwNTkwMDEzMjI4NDY0MjY4ZTBlNA004))
