BROOKINGS – “Happy little trees” will spring to life when the South Dakota State University Art Club and George’s Pizza host a “Bob Ross” painting event Monday.
Art students and some faculty will break out paint and canvas at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Art Department in Grove Hall. The public is welcome to attend and watch, said Molly Wicks, instructor of painting and adviser to the Art Club.
The finished paintings will hang in George’s Pizza during Hobo Week, which is Oct. 8-13. Each painting will be available to the public to purchase for $20, with framing costing an extra $80-$100, depending on the type of frame desired, Wicks said.
The proceeds will benefit the Art Club.
Painting session
The painting session will be the kick-off event for the Art Club, Wicks said, adding she’s monitored this type of class before.
Bob Ross hosted “The Joy of Painting” on PBS in the 1980s and 1990s. He was known for his calm, soothing narrative as he painted and his expressions, such as “happy little trees.”
Ross died in 1995, but his style endures, Wicks said.
“Bob Ross has a lot of amazing techniques,” she said.
“One thing that is nice about the Bob Ross painting is it does connect to our students,” Wicks said. “It’s more accessible to the public … Our job is to instill lots of different ideas about art in our students that makes them think and challenge their beliefs. That’s college education, for the most part.
“How many of us have watched Bob Ross and gone ‘Oh, that would be so fun to do,’” she said. “It’s actually really fun, and you can create something that’s pretty interesting.”
Wicks is setting up two different rooms because she expects about 40-50 painters. The first half-hour will be for setting up paints, canvas and other items. Then the participants will be painting for two to three hours, she figures.
Even though all will be using Ross’ instructions, the paintings will be as individual as the painters.
“They all turn out totally different,” Wicks said.
“It’s oil painting, so it takes a while to dry, so they’ll sit for a week and they should be dry in five to six days,” Wicks said.
Art and pizza
On Oct. 7, Thomas Knutson, manager of George’s Pizza, will oversee the hanging of the paintings in the establishment on Main Avenue. All are welcome to come and view the art, which can be purchased for $20, Wicks said.
Those who purchase a painting can take it with them or leave it hanging for others to enjoy through the week. If they’d like it framed, they need to pick out a frame and SDSU art students will frame it and deliver it a couple of weeks later, Wicks said.
“Then you have this original art based on an icon, made by SDSU students,” Wicks said.
The paintings hanging in the downtown business answers a need. Wicks said she’s gotten a lot of requests from people in the community, including Knutson, to see student work hung in businesses. She hopes the collaboration between the students and community continue.
After the Bob Ross event, “students are going to take the rest of the semester to showcase one of their own personal pieces,” Wicks said.
The fundraiser is necessary for student enrichment, she said.
Proceeds from a recent downtown mural helped pay for transportation to Minneapolis so art students could visit museums.
“To rent three minivans costs about a thousand dollars,” Wicks noted.
Wicks isn’t sure what the proceeds from the Bob Ross painting will support.
“That would be something that the students make the call on because it’s their club,” she said. “We’ll be spending it wisely on something that’s educational for them.”
She’s looking forward to the class Monday.
“Every time I’ve done it before, students are really thrilled and now we’ll be able to show it and hopefully, the public will support the Art Club,” Wicks said.
Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.
Courtesy photo: South Dakota State University students DanniJo Johnston and Alaina Stoutland are shown working on their first project for the semester in their respective painting classes. SDSU Art Club members are planning a fundraiser in which they’ll create “Bob Ross” paintings to display and sell at George’s Pizza during Hobo Week.
