FiLM REViEW

Ross was as awesome as he was on TV, if the people around him weren’t

Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal and Greed 92 min. | Rated PG-13 | Net ix

I have to admit I was a bit nervous to turn on the Bob Ross documentary. Being a child in the 80s, I saw Bob Ross and his white man puff y afro on TV many times. His happy little trees, and happy little accidents, were fi rmly etched in my mind.

It was a happy etching, and not one I was eager to shatter by learning something notorious about Ross. You can shatter plenty of my childhood illusions, Netfl ix, but don’t mess with Bob Ross!

Turns out, it’s actually the opposite. By all accounts, ranging from people who just met him randomly in a park meetup to those who worked closely with him, the Bob Ross on TV was pretty much what you get. He had a disarming charisma and delighted in nothing more than seeing the look on people’s faces when they realized that yes, they actually can paint, and paint reasonably well at that.

It’s some of the people around him who sucked.

We learn from the documentary that Ross had a career in the U.S. Air Force, but always loved to paint. He quickly enamored himself of many of the artists on the scene in his area, and endeared himself to another TV painter, which led to him leading workshops, and led to his partnerships with the Kowalskis (Hey, familiar name!) who helped market him and bring about the TV show, Th e Joy of Painting.

I was excited to learn Kowalskis were involved, until one foreshadowing comment that gave me an “uh-oh…” feeling. Are they the bad guys of the story?

Yes. Yes they are.

Th e Kowalskis, Annette and Walt, turned out to be money grubbers who happily exploited Bob Ross, putting his name on cheap paint supplies to earn more money (he had to fi ght them to make sure they used quality materials so people following his painting teaching could actually, you know, paint and have it look halfway decent).

Th ere are many things I learned from the documentary and some research after watching. I don’t want to spoil all of them for you, but here’s a few:

Ross had a career in the Air Force, and retired in order to pursue painting.

He loved changing his hairstyle, until he settled on the perm which everyone associates with him. (He called his salon visits every few months as “getting his springs tightened.)

Ross produced some 30,000 paintings in his lifetime, and produced three paintings for every painting on his PBS show - one before the show, one while fi lming and one afterward.

He and his family got screwed by the Kowalskis. Royally screwed. I’ll leave you to watch the doc to see how but it will make you angry. I disavow them as Kowalskis.

Much of the documentary centers on his son telling the whole tale. Steve Ross is actually quite a talented painter in his own right, and Bob Ross’ dream was that his son would ultimately be a better painter and more famous than him.

Steve doesn’t have the charisma of his father, but is still very eff ective at telling the tale of how his father came to fame, and how it all ended. You might leave ticked, but you will leave with an even greater appreciation of Bob Ross.

What’s frustrating is that you will need to feel guilty watching his videos in retrospect, since the Kowalskis’ company owns rights to them and is probably making a small mint from ad revenue on YouTube; not to mention all the other Bob Ross products. And not a cent is going to the family. Th ey’re also part of the reason you don’t see many Bob Ross paintings in the wild, despite the 30,000 paintings he did. Th ey have most of them. And others tended to be gifts Ross gave to various people, many of whom keep them on their walls and never really thought about selling.

But the Bob Ross International owners could never sully the happy force that is Bob Ross. If anything comes through in this documentary, it’s what an incredible person Ross was. Nothing can tarnish that, no matter how hard some people try to continually profi t off his name.

2021 Wausau Festival of Arts

Beauty and spirit is on full display at the Wausau Festival of Arts, and you’re invited! We’re preserving a legacy of art and togetherness that has lasted over 55 years in downtown Wausau. After a year off, we are excited to return, getting together to celebrate the joy of art and the comfort of our community.

Peruse a colorful harvest of beautiful offerings, from paintings and jewelry to sculptures, ceramics, and woven goods.

September11th&12th Home Is Where the Art Is

In addition to over a hundred artists, the square will be filled with live music, good food and cold drinks along with these favorites: • Family Art - Many creative activities for children with their parents.

• Young Collector Market - Children 12 and up can view and purchase donated art.

• Scholarship Silent Auction - Place your silent bids for art donated by participating artists.

• Still Young at Art - Reserve a space in one of these classes taught by professional artists in the upper classroom area of the CVA next to the Grand Theater:

1. LET WATERCOLOR PAINT ITSELF - Diane Shabino

Sat., Sep. 11, 10:00-12:00 - Learn wet watercolor techniques. Create paintings and note cards.

2. THE PAINTED PAGE - Connie Graham

Sat., Sep. 11, 1:30-3:30 - Experiment with painting, texturing and printing papers and create a collage.

3. FOOLPROOF PASTEL PAINTING - Andy Fenner

Sun., Sep.12, 10:00-12:00 - Complete a pastel painting of a glorious sunset.

4. LIVE CREATIVELY WITH SKETCHBOOK

JOURNALING - Nancy Laliberte

Sun., Sep.12, 1:30-3:30 - Use fun techniques with ink and watercolor in your journaling.

Classes are limited. Each class is $25. To register & for more information go to: www.wausaufoa.org/still-young-at.art

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