PBS star Bob Ross is one of the most iconic artists of all time. The landscape painter is renowned for his show where he would teach others how to draw outdoor scenes in relatively short amounts of time, his soothing voice and signature afro. Tamara Holcom, artist, owner and curator of Prescott Fine Art, is dedicated to preserving his rich legacy. She even attended Bob Ross Teacher Training in Muncie, Indiana, where she learned his techniques at the home on the grounds of Ball State University where he filmed his PBS show. She’s a Certified Ross Instructor and is one of just four in the state of Arizona. “He’s a total legend. Everybody knows who Bob Ross was and what he did and how he brought painting to the masses,” she says. His signature oil painting technique was called “wet on wet.” It allowed him to create paintings quickly.
“He didn’t invent wet on wet by any means – it was done even as far back as the old masters – but he really perfected it,” she says. She teaches classes at Prescott Fine Art, where students learn to paint one of his signature landscapes. Prior to instructing, Tamara watches the old episodes, so she knows how to teach. The group classes she teaches last for about four hours and are capped at 10 students. Tamara shows students how to create each painting. They watch a large projection of her painting each brush stroke. Brushes and canvases are provided. They’re taught how to properly load a brush and shown how to use a palette knife. The entire class works as a unit. They don’t move on until everyone has painted a sky or a different part of the painting. Everyone leaves with a fully finished painting. “I have people that leave my gallery that have tears in their eyes because they cannot believe that they did that painting. They cannot believe it because they never thought they could do it,” Tamara says. “Most of our people, I would say, probably 60% to 70% of our people, have never picked up a paintbrush in their lives. They’re leaving with paintings.”
Each student who walks out with a painting embodies one of Ross’ teachings: If you want to be good at something, you have to practice. “It brings tears to my eyes to be a small part of continuing his legacy,” says Tamara. “I’m so grateful.” − Teresa K. Traverse
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