My Husband Hung My Paintings on the Wall

Look what my husband did while I was out.
I have been painting in our large front foyer, where the light is usually good because of those high windows you see here. I have had quilts hanging on the wall for many years. I have a lot of quilts and so I change them up for the seasons and holidays. You can see a few hanging just behind my easel still.

But he took down a full size quilt that hung on the entire wall, and put up the first five of my series paintings. He did it straight and everything! I'm not sure I LIKE the idea of my artwork hanging there. In fact as you can see just to the right of my 5 beginner projects hangs my original Bob Ross painting. That's almost poetic.  I know they don't belong with the likes of his, but the DO BELONG because that's what he wanted.  It's just different when it's mine.

It is not yet known whether or not that painting by Bob Ross came from one of his PBS Joy of Painting shows, or somewhere else. I'll find out I guess some day, but if any of you know, please don't hesitate to tell me. I would be thrilled to find be able to watch him paint the painting that I actually have hanging on my wall!

Ok well it's Saturday and I watched Bob Ross and the Joy of Painting on television this morning and I was all ready to paint. . . until the kids got up, and after that, MiMi, and NOW it's too late because the Phoenix Suns are playing the Portland Trailblazers in about 30 minutes. Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs and we are currently tied. But not for long . . GO SUNS!

Share the Joy, Kay

PS:  How many of you think I wrote that headline just so the search engines could see "husband" and "hung" in the same sentence. He'd get a real kick out of it. Too bad he doesn't read my blog! If you know him. Tell him you searched Kay Zahn, Husband, and Hung, and his name came up. . . OMG as I typed that I see another joke that he'd deliver if you said that. But I'll leave that to your own interpretation.

Can anyone out there imitate Bob Ross' voice?

I would LOVE to have an audio file of a "Bob Ross sound alike" saying the little things I have written here and under the header of my blog here.

Grab a big ole glass of ice tea and join me - Now let's get crazy - Just beat the devil out of it -You can do it.  See that lonely cloud, let's give him a friend - It's your world, you can do anything you want.

I was babysitting and they brought their iPad !!

Eleven year old Troy brought along his I-pad tonight (I'm babysitting he and his little sister Tira for a few hours) and he let me play with it.  Put it this way, he sat with my laptop computer and cleaned up the registry, while I played with his I-pad.  TOO COOL (the kid AND the Ipad).

It does a lot of neat things but basically it's just a LARGE I-Pod. You can watch YouTube videos on it.  So of course I watched some of mine!

If you ever get your hands on an I-pad, watch my videos too.  Please?

Anyway, the kids kept me from painting today.  Good Kay, blame the children.  But I did need to go to the grocery store before they arrived, or we'd have had a pretty boring time.  As it is we did hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, baked cookies,

AND of course we played with their iPad.  

Overrated?  YES.  

Do I want one?  You Bet. 

Don't you?

But alas, Steve Jobs must wait for my money.  Maybe someday soon.  For now I'll just borrow the one that my friends have.  To play with and take pictures that are relative so that I can write about an Apple I-pad, and so when people search for the words Apple I-pad, maybe, just maybe, they'll end up here and see my blog and my painting, and remember that they love Bob Ross and The Joy of Painting.  And then they will follow my blog and watch me paint.

Hey just think when someone searches for Bob Ross AND I-Pad they might just get right here.  Someone try that and let me know if I come up in the first few listings ;)


btw  (4/20 update)  I just went to the Apple site and found out that the correct spelling of the I is 'i' so I should be writing iPad, iPod, etc.  I fixed the title of my blog post but left the other misspelled ones to make my point . . which is . . . i type too fast and the word iAnything SUCKS to type!  . . . But what was I doing at the Apple Store you ask?  OHHHHhhhh something very exciting for me and one of you too. Stay tuned.

Share the Joy, because Troy shared his Toy.     (duh)  Kay

Bob - We have a WINNER in the Starbucks Giveaway!

And the winner of my $50 Starbucks Giftcard Giveaway is: (drumroll please) Jacinta Pichimauida! She's a F/Book person so she should find out very soon.  Congratulations, and enjoy. I have a new giveaway planned for Mother's Day.  I'm going to get another painting (or two) done before then so there's more videos to watch and enter.

The prizes I have sitting here range from giftcards for Home Depot, Applebees, or Walmart. AND AND AND I purchased 2 basic Bob Ross Painting kits AND some kids Paint by Number kits from Bob Ross, Inc.  So the next giveaway will be something like a CHOICE of prize out of that batch of goodies.

In any case, ALL of my BLOG FOLLOWERS are always entered, so follow today and you may win later for doing NOTHING.  

Thanks, and get out there today.  Look at the Happy Trees . . . it's your world.  Enjoy it.

Share the Joy.  Kay

2 Ways to get FREE Starbucks Coffee TODAY.

Just go to my YouTube channel  watch and comment.  There are many ways to win, but not if you wait until after 11:59pm tonight.  Because that's when it ends.  So get your entry in, and you may be sipping FREE Starbucks next week.

If you want FREE Starbucks TODAY (4/15/2010) bring a reusable mug to any of their outlets today and they  will fill it with their brew.  Really.

Don't you just LOVE Starbucks?
I'm going to get mine and see if it motivates me to paint today !!
We are having a "walk in tub" installed for MiMi today.  My house (an my MiMi) may be to discombobulated to pick up a paint brush, but we'll see.

Share the Joy,   Kay

Speaking of Artistic Licenses meet Dan-O

Dan-O is the Webmaster of DanoSongs.com, a royalty free production music library where people can use his music for free under the creative commons music license. The only thing you need to do when using Dan’s music is to link back to or credit his Website. His songs are available to be used in YouTube videos, films, slideshows, games, podcasts and any other projects that need original instrumental or vocal tracks.

Dan-o is where I've been getting my music.  It's FREE (even tho I donated some money to Dano, cuz that's how I roll) and the instrumentals are just what my painting videos need.


If you need music for any (royalty free) reason, please check out DanoSongs.com
Thanks Dano
Share the Joy.

Artistic License from Bob Ross himself.

"When you purchase your first tube of paint, you are issued an Artistic License that you can do anything you want with," mused Bob.  He was highlighting the trees in a very dark scene.  Suggesting that if it were really night time, you would only see silhouettes.

The next episode of the Joy of Painting online will be Series 2 Number 6.  This one is another BLACK canvas painting.  I learned a lot about the wet on wet oil painting technique last time Bob and I did a black canvas. You can check the previous posts, but basically to begin the next painting we are going to use Black Gesso (dried) and Liquid Clear.  Followed by some under painting with some transparent colors which will "light up" when we add an opaque color (like titanium white).

See the video Ebony Sea (episode #3) for the effect I'm talking about.  In fact, HERE is that video.  Please click and watch (again, if you've seen it already) I need YouTube to see my videos get watched.  AND if you have not already, leave a comment on the video (here or on YouTube) and get another last minute entry into the Starbucks Giveaway that ends April 15th at 11:59pm.



There's a few hundred entries, but that still makes for pretty good odds that you'll be sipping your FREE Starbucks sometime soon.  GOOD LUCK, and Share the Joy.

The Joy of Painting Series 2 -#5 - Autumn Splendor

My NEW Video from my Bob Ross journey shows that I need to paint in the morning when no one else is around.  MiMi sleeps until noon usually, and kids are at school, hubby at the office.  But did I do that?  NO of course not this time, or I wouldn't even be mentioning it.  This time I waited until mid afternoon and it turned out to be a bad timing.  But my husband and his mother both got into the video, as "drop in" guests.





This is the episode of Bob Ross, Joy of Painting where he picks up the crayon? (that's inside a power drill looking thing) and says "I have a lot of limbs to do, so I'm gonna cheat." Then he made a LOT of tree branches and limbs in a LITTLE time.  This worried me for a while.  I do not like using the liner brush (and I thin the paint just like he says) for make limbs and branches. Or at least I "didn't" like it before THIS episode.  I actually had a small victory on this painting.  My branches and limbs are some of my best (which isn't saying much) and where Bob "cheated" I did not and I had some better success with it.  


I have seen so many beautiful Bob Ross style paintings on FaceBook it's always motivating but they put mine to shame.  On the other hand,  I never like my own paintings even though I've only done a handful and therefore shouldn't expect much.  But I watch Bob Ross and he makes it look so easy, and I really believe "I can do it" so I have high expectations.


At least I enjoy the videos and I hope you do too.  Oh yea watch this video and leave a comment and you'll get ONE MORE ENTRY INTO THE STARBUCKS GIVEAWAY.  What could be bad about that?
                            Share theJoy - Kay

My ORIGINAL Bob Ross Painting - video on FaceBook

These are HAPPY LITTLE TREES painted by our trusted comrade, the Late Great Bob Ross.  It is mine and I own it.  It has been certified by the official company Bob Ross, Inc as having been painted by Bob Ross sometime in 1993.

It came with a Certificate of Authenticity from them as well.  I purchased it on an Ebay auction from a private party who said he had a couple more.  Who knows I may someday get my hands on another one. That is unless hubby thinks we are just about happy enough around here ;)  (love you honey)

I had video taped it and was going to add it to my newest episode (which is in processing right now) but had second thoughts about putting it on YouTube, given my quest to earn their Partnership Status.  You have to certify ownership of all visuals, and I could not on a Bob Ross painting even if I own the painting itself.  Which I do. But I can't put it on YouTube.  So I put it on FaceBook.  So if you are a FaceBook user, go take a look, become a Fan or Follower or whatever they call it.  Join our conversations.  It's fun.

OMG I own a Real Piece of History.  I don't believe it came from an episode of The Joy of Painting on PBS tv, but it would be cool if some day I discovered it in my journey.  To paint along with Bob on a painting that I own, well that would take it to a "HNL" (for all of your MadTV fans) or a Whole "nother Level !  

Stay tuned, Series 2 Episode 5 - Autumn Splendor is on it's way, and there are a couple of special guest starts dropping in.  Literally.   The Video will add another potential entry to my $50 Starbucks Giftcard Giveaway (ends 4/15/2010) and so far that is going very well.  We have a lot of new friends and followers and I feel very grateful for your time and attention.  Even if I have to give you things from time to time.  I don't mind.  You're worth it.

Share the Joy, Kay