I opened my desk drawer recently and noticed a palate of paints and a book of canvas paper. I bought them a while back believing I would learn to paint, spurred by one of those TV artists who ever so gently instructed me on the simple nuances of painting a landscape. It wasn’t the famously coiffed Bob Ross, still like the legendary TV oil painter known for his warm delivery and the of-course-you-can-do-it attitude, I was encouraged to believe that I too could paint like Monet or van Gogh.

As anyone who’s ever watched those shows can attest, that will never happen. And yet, some estimates say Ross’s program, The Joy of Painting, at its peak attracted up to 80 million viewers worldwide on a daily basis when it was broadcast on almost 300 PBS stations from 1983 to 1994. And the funny thing is, it’s suspected that the vast majority of those viewers never picked up a paintbrush.

So, why watch? There are a number of theories. One is the Zen-like quality of the show. Ross’s soothing voice and messages of self-confidence charmed his audience, especially when a splat of paint would go awry and he would correct what he called a “happy accident”, leaving the landscape even lovelier than before.

Ross could produce an oil painting in 27 minutes, and yet his show was a calm island in a frenzied world. Today, long after his death in 1995, Ross remains a popular icon, with his show appearing on YouTube and Twitch, where a whole new generation of viewers are succumbing to his quiet demeanor and colorful strokes, paintings that evoke feelings of tranquility and peace.

It’s interesting that few believe Ross was a great artist. However, his idea that anyone could be a painter endeared him to many. If you don’t believe me, watch one of his shows and tell me whether, at the end, you feel that twitch to grab a paintbrush, since Ross made it all seem so easy. And his fans loved him for that.

I have been thinking about Ross because three of his pieces went up for auction recently where those “not so great” paintings garnered over $600,000—more than twice as much as pre-sale estimates—funds that will go directly to public broadcasting stations, which are suffering from the government’s recent funding cuts. And there are 27 more Ross paintings going on the block, a boon for public television that needs all the help it can get.

I can’t bring myself to discard those painting supplies in my drawer. Maybe, someday, I’ll sit down, take a breath, watch Bob Ross work his magic, and be inspired.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Wolf Catcher

Anne Montgomery

Historical Fiction

In 1939, archeologists uncovered a tomb at the Northern Arizona site called Ridge Ruin. The man, bedecked in fine turquoise jewelry and intricate bead work, was surrounded by wooden swords with handles carved into animal hooves and human hands. The Hopi workers stepped back from the grave, knowing what the Moochiwimi sticks meant. This man, buried nine hundred years earlier, was a magician.

Former television journalist Kate Butler hangs on to her investigative reporting career by writing freelance magazine articles. Her research on The Magician shows he bore some European facial characteristics and physical qualities that made him different from the people who buried him. Her quest to discover The Magician’s origin carries her back to a time when the high desert world was shattered by the birth of a volcano and into the present-day dangers of archeological looting where black market sales of antiquities can lead to murder.

Universal Book Link

Amazon

Apple Books

Barnes and Noble

Google Books

Rakuten Kobo

Bookstores, libraries, and other booksellers can order copies directly from the Ingram Catalog.

Anne Montgomery’s novels can be found wherever books are sold.

Goodreads

Amazon