The Joy of Painting 2012-W48

This week I stumbled on a retrospective documentary about PBS show The Joy of Painting and its inimitable presenter, Bob Ross.  Like many Americans, back in the day I watched that show often...  mesmerized by the visuals and by Bob's soothing voice.  (So soothing it may have induced a nap or three.)  Although I'd never painted at the time, thanks to Bob I felt no doubts that I could do if I chose to.  Even now, I believe that Bob's happy approach is the correct mind set.

Watercolors are more like cats than dogs.  They will obey you up to a point but ultimately, they alone decide how they will behave.  (Especially today's paints as shown in this swatch; an aggressive orange, a weak granulating violet and a cold green that tends to flake.  Egad!)   My theory is that being a good watercolor painter entails being good at guessing how the paints will misbehave and possibly cutting off their routes to those paths.  But I am getting away from the point I really wanted to make.

Which is this. 
Since I learned to paint, I have also learned to pay no heed to how the painting on paper differs from its conceptual vision in my mind's eye.  Because differ they shall.  Rather, I enjoy whatever result comes off my brush and I do my best to pass off any happy accidents as intentional genius.  No painting of mine may ever hang in a museum, but that doesn't diminish the joy I feel making them.

Before I watched the documentary, I hadn't realized but now am certain that this positive outlook has grown from seeds that Bob Ross planted.  I'd already planned this painting, but now in memorium to Bob Ross, today it was my pleasure to paint these "happy trees".  It would be neat if you enjoy them too.  Thanks, Bob!

Happy Sequoia in the Mist