Bob Ross display is a huge bonus for art gallery and Penticton

Run, don’t walk, to see the Bob Ross exhibition, “Happy Little Accidents” which is showing at the Penticton Art Gallery until Sept. 13.

The official opening, with safe social distancing and safe interactive displays, attracted 425 people on Saturday — one of the biggest turnouts in gallery history and during the time of COVID-19 when many people are avoiding crowds.

Fans of the celebrity painter purchased T-shirts, others came decked out in afro wigs (Bob had a large brown afro.) It was great to see so many young people, teenagers and kids in attendance.

The exhibit has people talking about the arts in Penticton. Many who have attended over the first five days are long-time residents who had never visited the art gallery before.

A little history.

Bob Ross was host of “The

Joy of Painting,” a popular show on PBS that ran for more than a decade in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Sadly, he died at age 52 from complications related to lymphoma and, ironically, Saturday was the 25-year anniversary of his death.

He became an internet star, posthumously, when many of his painting videos were posted online.

Penticton is the first place his paintings have been displayed internationally and is now only one of two cities to host the travelling exhibit. (The other was Purcellville, Virigina.)

For years, his paintings sat in boxes.

The show is drawing interest from well outside of the Okanagan. One lady broke down in tears of joy when she was second from the end of the line on Saturday. She travelled from Edmonton to attend and was glad she wasn’t kept out due to the overflow.

This event is something the City of Penticton and especially Travel Penticton should be aggressively marketing.

People come to Penticton for wineries, shows and sports, but they will also visit for visual art, especially when there’s a featured artist as famous as

Bob Ross.

For the first time in many years, the gallery is extending its hours and will be open seven days a week throughout the summer.

Kudos to curatorial director Paul Crawford (a rock star!) for making this happen and to the board of directors of the art gallery.

This is totally cool.