The Amazing Things I Learned, When I Went Beyond Bob Ross
- Hope Blakely
- Aug 27
- 3 min read
Like many artists of my generation, I began my oil painting journey with Bob Ross. There was something so reassuring in his gentle voice, the rhythm of his brushwork, and the way he made the process seem approachable. From my first dab of titanium white to my first happy little tree, Bob taught me how to see a landscape—and how to not be afraid of the blank canvas.
He gave me my first tools: how to hold a brush, how to blend a sky, how to add dimension with layers of foliage, how to create balance with mountains, reflections, and highlights. But most of all, Bob Ross gave me confidence. I’m forever grateful for that.
But the more I painted, the more I wanted to stretch. The workshops I attended opened up new worlds: not just in technique, but in friendships. I met incredible people through these workshops—some of whom were instructors, others simply fellow artists on the same journey. Dana Jester, Steve Ross, Mickey Cline, J.D. Wayne, Ginny Deaton, Bram Bevins, Kevin Hill, Marion Dutton and Jeff Shope only to name a hand full, have each played a meaningful role in my story. Whether through their teaching, their friendship, or just the shared joy of painting side by side, these connections have shaped my experience in unforgettable ways. Many of their works now hang in the Blakely Art Collection as a tribute to those relationships.
When I started painting in 2012, I knew I wanted to paint in the Bob Ross style—but something wasn’t quite clicking. My paintings didn’t yet have the flow or structure I saw on screen. That’s what led me to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and the Bob Ross Art Workshop, where I studied with Doug Hallgren, my first true Bob Ross-style teacher. Doug stayed within the Ross tradition but brought a depth of knowledge that helped me build the foundation I was missing. In 2017 and 2018, I took workshops with him—first focusing on landscapes, then florals. These experiences got me firmly on the right path with Bob’s methods and gave me the skills and confidence to continue exploring.
But it wasn’t until 2020–2021 that I took a real turn. I dove into traditional oil methods, exploring classical glazing, animal portraits, and still life arrangements. I wanted to understand why the colors worked—not just how to apply them.
This desire to go deeper led me to color theory and advanced color mixing classes in 2025. That same year, I briefly explored the Bill Alexander Masterclass. While it was marketed as an advanced course, it was clearly aimed at beginners—and it started by asking students to forget everything they knew about Bob Ross. That didn’t sit well with me. Ross was my beginning. He deserved better than to be dismissed.
I chose not to continue that course. By then, I had learned most of what was being taught, thanks to the many generous mentors I’d already studied under.
🎨 Bridging Styles: When the Beacon Fails
One of the clearest visual milestones in my artistic growth is the painting When the Beacon Fails. It began in classic Bob Ross fashion—with soft clouds, a watery shoreline, and a moody sky built using his wet-on-wet method. But then I veered.
I switched techniques to build the clipper ship and lighthouse using more deliberate, traditional brushwork. I needed crisp lines, layers of shadow, and perspective that wet-on-wet couldn’t quite achieve. While painting the sky, a shape emerged that looked vaguely like a skull. It was unintentional at first—but we leaned into it, reinforcing the eerie presence.
Most notably, the lighthouse was left unlit. That choice was deliberate. This isn’t a feel-good painting—it’s one that suggests vulnerability, silence, danger. It took six months of reworking and refining to get it where it needed to be.
🖼️ Recent Works That Show More of My Evolution
✨ Sanctuary – A detailed tiger portrait where I used slow, translucent glazing techniques to build realism and depth. This on is in the Special Collection as I do not have it for sale.
Sanctuary 🐢 Let Me Out – A turtle portrait full of expressive color and character. More than a study in realism, it captures personality.
Let me Out 🌿 Peace in a Picture – Based on a Marion Dutton design, but modified with my own balanced color palette and subtle refinements. This still life truly reflects how I’ve grown in tone, harmony, and intention.
💬 Closing Thoughts
Going beyond Bob Ross didn’t mean abandoning him. It meant honoring what he gave me—then expanding on it. The Blakely Art Collection wouldn’t exist without the foundation his teachings laid. But my artistic voice today is broader, bolder, and more intentional because I was willing to learn, to listen, and to evolve.
And I’m still evolving.
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