Childhood Memories

Over the past few weeks my husband has taken to staying at home rather than coming on the school run.  Whilst this means that YD and I now arrive on time every morning, it also means that I get home to find gems like “The Joy of Painting” with Bob Ross on the Discovery Real Time channel on the television.  I remember this guy from my childhood and always wanted to be able to paint like him.  He can produce a full-size oil on canvas in 30 minutes, using a wet-on-wet mostly brushwork technique.  Bob Ross died from lymphoma in 1995 but left a legacy of instruction books and videos for aspiring painters all over the world as well as 31 (yes 31) series of his ‘how-to’ painting show.  I am no stranger to the paintbrush myself, but try as I might, I just can’t paint like he does!

Bob Ross

Watching Bob this morning, with his Afro and ‘pocket squirrel’ bought back another aspirational memory from my childhood…  Nancy Kominsky.  She used to have a show, “Paint Along with Nancy” which I remember watching at my Nan’s.  Nancy had a completely different technique, putting the paint on thickly with a palette knife and mixing colours by the teaspoon.  I also remember she used to divide the canvas into a grid so that viewers could copy what she did at home.  Nevertheless she could also produce a finished canvas in less than 30 minutes… a skill I have yet to master!

Nancy Kominsky

And who could forget the amazing Tony Hart – and Morph?

Tony Hart and Morph

All of these artists played a part in my artistic development, inspiring me from a very young age to have a go at different things and see what I could achieve.  I also have to thank my mum, nan and aunt for teaching me to sew, knit and crochet respectively, as well as my lovely, tolerant DH who puts up with bags and boxes of resources dotted all over the house and indulges my passion for all things crafty.