Bob Ross is dead

Who the heck is Bob Ross?  Oh, you don't know!  Bob Ross was the genius behind a popular painting show on PBS in the early 90's. (wikipedia page)  Bob was an amazing painter who taught everyone in a half hour how to paint beautiful landscapes.  Bob was definitely a throw-back:  He had a hippie-esque feeling to him, and the dude still sported an afro.  I was watching Bob the other day and the first thing you feel is relaxed: he speaks through the whole show with soft, low voice that reassures you like a parent when you're scarred.  Secondly, you're impressed with how much he loves painting.  He uses phrases like, "Ain't that neat!" or "This is my favorite part!" or "The canvas is the world under your control"; much like a child with a coloring book.  In the end of a non-stop half hour program, Bob has transformed the white canvas into a snapshot of a great landscape.  Two things strike me about the Bob Ross experience:  Why don't we have shows like this anymore?  A half hour of no commercials, relaxing/soothing environment, and confidence building experience to go out and do something.  It just doesn't exist anymore.  TV is meant to sell you crap, make you unsatisfied with what we have, and make us drones that stay put in our chairs.  The other thing about the Bob Ross experience is I think that we should all spend time in art time.  I used to spend a lot of time drawing as a youth; sometimes it was my refuge from my troubles, a chance to relax and escape.  I'm not sure why I don't draw much anymore.  The creative mind, I believe is a gift from God, and we should exercise it with leisure sometimes, just for our enjoyment.  Whatever you do, whether it's music, visual arts, or just coloring a book we should do it.  It seems as this world continues to plummet, it becomes more void of relaxing, casual art.