by Nearly 30 years after his death, the legacy of Bob Ross is still finding its way through college campuses.
Since 2020, the University Honors Student Association has made a tradition of painting along with Ross’ popular program, The Joy of Painting. This year, students found an atmosphere of tranquility during a Valentine’s Day snowstorm.
Participants said they feel some sort of connection to Bob Ross, despite not being around when the show aired in the 80s and 90s. But why?
Some students said it’s because of his calm demeanor and reputation in popular culture.
“I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about Bob Ross, he’s such a lovable person,” said neuroscience student, Emily Knox.
Sydney Boyd, a third-year finance student, paints with watercolors in her free time as a way to de-stress and watches Bob Ross for the chill painting experience.
“I know, like, who he is and I’ve never followed one of his tutorials before, but I find his videos, like, really relaxing,” she said. “Like I watch them just to, like, see what the end product of his paintings are.”
Other students considered the way past cultural elements often become trendy again. Ainsely Casper, a sociology of law, crime and justice student, said people make an effort to bring back past music, fashion and media they think is cool.
“We all kind of like things that we’re not experiencing at the present moment. Or things like you don’t have now, you kind of, you want to attain that.”
Chances are, you may have had an affinity for something you’ve never experienced – and there’s a word for it.
In 2012, John Koenig coined the term anemoia in his work, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. It means nostalgia for a time you’ve never experienced.
Boyd has some experience with the emotion, dating back to high school.
“I took a European history class and I really fell in love with old, European art and architecture and like the Renaissance,” she said. “So I feel like sometimes I like, wish that I could experience those same feelings that those people got to experience during that time.”
The paint-along helped some students wistfully connect to a time that seemed simpler. A time without midterms or the stressors of adulting.
“As you go through college, you start feeling older, you start feel like time is flying. So fast that you’re going into adulthood, so fast that you want to reach out back to your nostalgic era, the stuff that reminds you of your childhood,” said Mahir Haque, first-year student and event lead for the painting night. “Those nostalgic factors make me feel young. That I don’t have to worry about being an adult sometimes.”
Whether students are in the midst of academic stress or a snowstorm, using a paintbrush and a canvas can be a way to de-stress, and the UHSA offers multiple painting events throughout the school year.
This semester, to complement the annual Bob Ross painting night, the student association is planning a succulent painting event in April during Earth Week.
