The Joy Of Painting

It’s typical: you’ve just finished the slow process of reviving your body after a Memorial Day barbecue overdose, and now it’s already time to drift back through the meat fog and into your resting life. Luckily, Netflix has your back this weekend, offering up the ultimate life coach for relaxation and rest: afro-sporting painting instructor Bob Ross.


The streaming service has just added 25 episodes of Ross’ The Joy Of Painting onto its site. (The collection is being billed as Bob Ross: Beauty Is Everywhere, which some outlets are reporting was a separate series filmed in 1991, but the episodes in question simply seem to be from seasons 20, 21, and 22 of The Joy Of Painting.) All the gentle brushstrokes, softly spoken instructions, and, of course, happy little trees, are waiting for you—maybe as a nice palate cleanser after the frenetic energy of Lady Dynamite, or the intensity of Daredevil season 2.

If Netflix’s offerings aren’t enough to sate your need for big smiles and little mountains, though, you can always turn to YouTube; much of Ross’ TV output over the years is available there, through both the official Joy Of Painting YouTube channel, and the many bootleg episodes that people have been passing around for years.