This Bob Ross "painted" happy little trees onto their partner's face all evening.

I've lived in Alameda, California going on 10 years now and I'm always surprised by what I see on Halloween night — it's a real circus! Each year, thousands of revelers head to my neighborhood in the Fernside district to trick or treat. And my neighbors go all out with decorations, costumes and candy. I've heard from friends in the busier parts of the neighborhood that it's easy to hand out over 1,000 pieces of candy in that one night.

This year I decided to document the madness. Here's what I captured.

This giant faux spider dropped down from a tree to frighten folks.

I didn't end up making it to this "Haunted Cave" but I sure do love its sign.

There was a line of people with kids waiting to get photo opps with this pretend Goofy.

I saw many Jack O'Lanterns, including this toothy one.

Two years ago was when I first spotted a couple of vendors selling light-up toys. Now, they're everywhere and they've graduated from small push carts to actual tables.

This was the first year I saw vendors selling hot dogs and sausages. Business was brisk. (A neighborhood friend reports that he's seen them in other parts of our 'hood in past years._

This family must dig Shakespeare.

Every year, this family truly brings it. This year their display contained a fire element in the pirate ship's cannon.

This skeletal pirate and his gold were on the other side of the lawn, behind the ship. Read the rest

For the first time ever, a collection of original paintings by the late TV painter Bob Ross will be exhibited on the east coast. "Happy Accidents" opens September 10 and runs through Oct. 15 at the Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center in Purcellville, Virginia (which is just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Bob Ross headquarters in Herndon, Virginia).

Hyperallergic:

"...The exhibition will feature 24 original Ross paintings created on The Joy of Painting, the largest collection of Ross paintings to ever be displayed at a gallery. It will also be the first Bob Ross exhibition on the East Coast...

This past March, following a torrent of requests from Bob Ross fans, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Art announced that it’s including a collection of the artist’s paintings, along with other items from The Joy of Painting (including the converted stepladder he used as an easel), in its permanent collection. Alas, the Smithsonian later said it had no plans to exhibit the new acquisitions. In April, Ross made his first museum debut when DePaul Art Museum in Chicago included four of his paintings in the exhibition New Age, New Age: Strategies for Survival...

Along with the unprecedented display of Ross’s paintings, Happy Accidents will also feature three workshops with Bob Ross-certified instructor Sandra Hill."

If you can't make it to the show and want to see the entire The Joy of Painting collection, go check out all six seasons of his art at TwoInchBrush. Read the rest

Or not.

New rule: You haven't jumped the shark until your likeness is made into a "sexy" Halloween costume. Read the rest

It's estimated that Bob Ross painted thousands of paintings on his TV show "The Joy of Painting" — but where did they all go? Read the rest

While watching this 46-minute compilation video by YouTuber Rhodri Marsden, try to count how many times Bob Ross "beats the devil out" of his paintbrush. I lost count of the "whackings" five minutes in. Also, take note of the guest painters cleaning their brushes on Ross' show, Joy of Painting.

(Geekologie) Read the rest

If a Bob Ross TOASTER isn't gloriously leaping over the "officially-licensed Bob Ross merchandise shark" with red, white, and blue streamers, I don't know what is!

Don't get me wrong, I love every inch of its modern-day kitsch aesthetic. From Bob's smiling mug and signature on the toaster's front to the feature that actually chars an image of the late great Joy of Painting host on the bread itself, fro and all. It's truly something to behold. But I can't help but feel sad that Mr. Ross himself wasn't around to experience his fantastic late-capitalism legacy.

It's touted as, "The perfect present to cheer up any artist's kitchen." You can get one for the artist in your life for $39.95.

(Foodiggity, Odditymall) Read the rest

Most of us have enjoyed the soothing, soft-spoken art instructions of public TV painter Bob Ross, but how many of us have actually tried to paint using his methods?

I guessed "not many" but I was wrong. On YouTube, there's this "Bob Ross Challenge" which means lots of folks are taking a stab at creating their own "happy little trees," with mixed results.

In the Buzzfeed video from 2017 (above), watch as three beginning painters fearlessly try their hand at following the master.

Then, watch these two brave souls do the same thing:

Previously: Zen out on Bob Ross peeling off contact paper

(Neatorama) Read the rest

Need a meditative moment? Try watching the late great Joy of Painting host Bob Ross peel off contact paper and masking tape from his paintings for nearly four minutes. Ahhh... that's better.

(Digg) Read the rest

Over at The Official Action Figure Therapy store, they've got all kinds of customized minifigs for sale including this "Calm Bearded Tree Enthusiast Painter Dude." It's like a hilarious exercise in describing Bob Ross and LEGO, without actually using those words.

Also see: the "Hairy Canadian Fast Healing Angry Claw Man In Wife Beater," the "Scary Kid Loving Sewer Clown With Balloon," and the "Terminally Ill Contraband Manufacturing Underwear Science Teacher."

Thanks, Howard! Read the rest

Known for his soothing voice, fantastic 'fro and mad painting skills, you may not remember that the late great Bob Ross was an animal lover, as evidenced by these videos.

Previously: Bob Ross Chia Pet

(reddit) Read the rest

This is called "Gettin' Wet on Wet with Deadpool 2" and it's the slick new, and wonderfully bizarro, teaser trailer for Deadpool 2. It shows Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds (we assume) dressed in the superhero's costume and then dressed like the late TV painter Bob Ross, giant white fro and all. You have to sit through a minute and a half of weird, and hilarious, banter and "painting" just to see flashes of the film.

Even the description is off the wall:

After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Mayberry’s hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor – finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.

Deadpool 2 hits theaters June 1, 2018.

Here's a closer look at that Norman Rockwell-esque painting at the end of the trailer:

(reddit) Read the rest

I'm glad to hear that the licensing department at Chia Pet headquarters is on top of giving the people what they really, really want. Case in point, they've made a Chia Pet fashioned after Joy of Painting host Bob Ross!

His signature 'fro will just grow and grow... "happy little trees," of course.

Btw, I was going use "All Hail the Bob Ross Chia Pet" as the headline but accidentally typed "Hair." I decided the typo was too perfect to change.

The Bob Ross Chia Pet is available for $19.99. (In fact, it's the #1 best-selling "Plant Germination Kit" on Amazon.)

(Dangerous Minds) Read the rest

The YouTube channel Today I Found Out takes a look at the life of famed PBS artist Bob Ross—a beloved public figure whose biography is surprisingly opaque. Read the rest

Just when you thought it was safe to deep dream, along comes Bob Ross and his happy little glitchoggoths. Read the rest

The legendary painter and educator has inspired a placeholder text generator based upon his calm yet encouraging dialogue. Friendlier than the classic lorem ipsum, it should provide all the happy little texts you ever need.

When things happen - enjoy them. They're little gifts. In this world, everything can be happy. All you have to do is let your imagination go wild. Look around. Look at what we have. Beauty is everywhere you only have to look to see it.

There is immense joy in just watching - watching all the little creatures in nature. Don't be afraid to make these big decisions. Once you start, they sort of just make themselves. These things happen automatically. All you have to do is just let them happen.

Go out on a limb - that's where the fruit is. We don't need any guidelines or formats. All we need to do is just let it flow right out of us. Didn't you know you had that much power? You can move mountains. You can do anything. Don't kill all your dark areas - you need them to show the light. That is when you can experience true joy, when you have no fear.

The very fact that you're aware of suffering is enough reason to be overjoyed that you're alive and can experience it. In your imagination you can go anywhere you want. In painting, you have unlimited power. You have the ability to move mountains. You can bend rivers. But when I get home, the only thing I have power over is the garbage.

What a gem was released upon the internet today! This video of Bob Ross: A Walk in the Woods, was Season 1 Episode 1 of his long-running “anyone can paint” television HOWTO show. Read the rest