A new generation can learn how to paint happy trees and cause happy accidents with a TV series that teaches the Bob Ross painting method using some of the prolific artist’s work that has never been seen before.
Before Ross died of cancer in 1995, he had completed seven paintings for use in the 32nd season of “The Joy of Painting.”
“He was very sick, but he was still working on his next series because he wanted to keep going,” said Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc. His parents, Annette and Walt Kowalski, co-founded the company with Ross.
These works were stored for almost three decades. Certified Bob Ross instructor Nicholas Hankins studied these seven paintings and painted them from scratch on camera in “The Joy of Painting with Nicholas Hankins: Bob Ross’ Unfinished Season,” which began showing this spring in select markets across the country. American public television. Some episodes are available on the PBS website.
The opportunity to “take these paintings and do what Bob wanted done with them, (to) put them out into the world, making people happy, is gratifying,” Hankins said recently on Zoom. He teaches at the Bob Ross Art Workshop and Gallery about 15 miles from Daytona Beach, Florida, and oversees instructor certification. Hankins also uses six of his own paintings in this new “Joy of Painting,” which was filmed and produced at WDSC-TV Daytona State College.
“I think Bob would be extremely proud of how we’re doing this,” Kowalski said. “There aren’t many things that come our way where we have to ask ourselves: What should we do? Bob was very specific about how he wanted this all to play out in the future.”
Hankins is a familiar face to Ross devotees. His own teaching videos posted on the Bob Ross YouTube channel attracted more than 300,000 views before the TV idea was even mentioned.
Kowalski is fascinated by the online response to Hankin’s videos. “People realize that Nick isn’t trying to be Bob, and he’s acting naturally like himself, but there’s still the same kind of feeling you get when watching Bob.”
A surge of interest in all things Bob Ross came with the pandemic, as people stayed home and looked for ways to pass the time. Now, with so many distractions, it can feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to relax and unwind. If viewers aren’t watching a painting class, Hankins hopes his 30-minute “Joy of Painting” episodes will help people relax in the same spirit as the originals.
“I hope I can carry on that part of the legacy,” he said. “I genuinely want to create an environment where people will come in, take half an hour and just tune out the world. I need it.”
Kowalski says people used to shyly tell Ross “all the time” that they would fall asleep to his episodes, but he didn’t care. “He said, ‘I love knowing you’ve never watched a full episode of me.’”
If you want to paint along, Hankins said you need basic materials like oil paints, an easel, canvas and brushes. “But if they’re just watching, all they need is a big glass of iced tea. “That was Bob’s thing,” he said, “have an iced tea, relax and watch.”
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