Happy Clouds, Happy Trees

July 1, 2014

Most PBS viewers know Bob Ross (1942-95), whose half-hour program The Joy of Painting is broadcast over more than 450 local stations and to millions of fans. The authors' earnest efforts to probe the "worldwide cultural phenomenon" that is both Bob Ross the man and Bob Ross, Inc.--the secretive corporate empire still growing nearly 20 years after its founder's death--is an interesting story, but one that is here told in artless prose. Congdon (American Folk Art) and Blandy (senior vice provost for academic affairs, Univ. of Oregon) write of Ross's undeniable passion for teaching, and his status as a media star and artist and even assign shamanic healing powers to him. The subject's cultural persistence is fawningly equated to that of Elvis Presley and even Jesus Christ. More aptly, Ross is compared with other commercial pop art figures (e.g., Andy Warhol, Thomas Kinkade, Grandma Moses). Evidently Ross the company would not permit any images of the artist or his paintings to be published. To get around this the authors enlisted a fellow devotee Danny Coeyman to create paintings as Ross would have. The Ross mystique penetrates the text: biographical assertions are scrupulously documented, as though to ward off lawsuits. This is a shame because the authors truly love their subject and "seek to honor his teachings." A little openness would have allowed a more enduring portrait. VERDICT As with Ross, this book is not for everyone, but it will surely be cherished by the artist's followers.--Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L.

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