BOB ROSS (RIP July 4, 1995)

The Intense Individual Party is exactly one month away. Many costume ideas have been brought to my attention and some just blow my mind. I love that the people invited to come as themselves are actually excited about the fact and embracing their Intensity.

A new element added this year will be the tents set up in the backyard so that people can literally be in-tents. If they want to camp in them overnight and sleep in-tents as well, that would be perfectly fine. Actually that would be MORE than fine.

I’m thinking that each tent will be dedicated to an Intense Landmark. (e.g. Times Square, the Scientology Celebrity Center in Hollywood, Neverland Ranch, Alaska in general…you know stuff like that.) If you have any other ideas for I.Ls please send them my way.

Speaking of Alaska…I miss Bob Ross. He was once quoted as saying, “God was having a good day when He made Alaska.”

This past Fourth of July marked the ten year anniversary of this death. Thanks to a 5 oz tube of Indian Yellow oil, the lover of Alaska painted accents of sunlight on trees and mountains. Excuse me…accents of “happy sunlight” on “happy trees and mountains”. His soothing voice danced along side his brushstrokes with poise and ease as artists and non-artists everywhere were swept off their feet.

It seems like Bob Ross is one of those individuals who pops into my life from time to time. The other day my friend Mike sent me an email with an attached picture of his friend Sam Warren wearing something astonishing.

Unbelieveable.

I absolutely love t-shirts like that. I find it fantastic when people wear t-shirts idolizing their idols or expressing their thoughts. Although I find it a bit odd my little 17 year-old sister, Jill*, bought a t-shirt with The Beatles emblem on the front. Fifty bucks to you Jilly if you can tell me who Ringo Starr is.

Kids these days.

The t-shirt worn by Sam exemplifies the legend of Bob Ross and why he is a classic example of an Intense Individual. Although some cynics would say he’s not “Intense” by definition, to be Intense goes way beyond the definition. It’s all about the details.

Yes, there may be other artists such as Van Gogh (because of the ear incident) or Günter Brus (because of the mutilation that went beyond an ear) that would define Intense by their physical actions but with Bob Ross it was his simplicity that put him in that league. It was his sheer JOY of painting as well as the fact that he could make a bush appear happy with only a few brush strokes that made him Intense.

Here is Hew Harris at the Intense Individual Party #2 dressed up as Mr. Ross himself.

The resemblance is absolutely uncanny.

RIP Bob. We miss you dearly. We miss you everyday.

Footnote/Asterisk
*Jill’s recent question to me that sent me running to the mirror to check for wrinkles was: “Lisa, WHO is Punky Brewster?” Ummm…this coming from a girl who sports The Beatles t-shirt and drinks coke out of a bottle like she’s in 1968.

Jilly, if you want to live in the past, then do some research, baby. Just being a DJ at the Corvette Diner and sipping a malt milkshake doesn’t give you full access to a flux capacitor.

It’s not all about The OC…there used to be a show called 90210, ok?