For years, Pat’s Sunday rituals included watching the late Bob Ross present “The Joy of Painting,” possibly the most-watched art program on public television. During the half-hour, artist Ross typically stated: “If you’re going to paint along with me….” Pat would laugh and say, "Yeah, sure, Bob!" However, over the years, Pat concluded that “maybe” he could paint. Then he determined to take one of the Bob Ross classes—if the opportunity ever presented itself. Following a six-week excursion from their Idaho home to Texas, the couple stopped overnight in Apache Junction, Arizona. A motorhome drove into the park sporting a sign on the side, indicating the owners were Bob Ross instructors. “I chased that lady down and the following morning, Wanda and I were sitting at their table in the park taking a class,” Pat says. “I was so proud of that first painting. I showed it to everyone in the park who had a pulse.”

Wanda and Pat went home to Twin Falls and started painting, completing two or three landscapes a day for the next seven months. They arranged to bring a Bob Ross instructor from Washington to the Idaho area. “We put together classes for her,” Pat recalls. “We’d paint a hundred paintings, then take a couple of classes. Paint another hundred paintings and take two more classes.” Three years later, Pat took his certification to become a landscape instructor.

Because of established associations, the artists spend most of May through August in Idaho and Wyoming. September through November, they typically travel to different places. During the winter season, the Alsups teach art classes in parks surrounding their snowbird base in Apache Junction. The income in Arizona allowed the couple to expand their time in Arizona’s parks to five months. Wanda explains that their certification permits them to advertise the Bob Ross name and generate their own classes and workshops. Their criterion for teaching in any area of the United States includes a commitment of approximately 40 students in the course of a week. In addition to instruction for the four-hour classes, the Alsups provide easels, canvas, paints, and clean-up supplies. Each student leaves with a completed painting. They also provide written instructions which Pat prepares on his on-board computer.

The Bob Ross Teacher Training Program is open to anyone who has a desire to paint and an eagerness to teach others. The five-day seminars are offered in three progressive levels for each certification: landscape instructors, floral instructors, wildlife instructors, and portrait instructors. Besides advanced painting instruction, Levels II and III offer coaching on motivating beginners, correcting students’ mistakes, product sourcing, class setup, promotion, and job opportunities. The training sessions run throughout the year on certain dates in New Smyrna Beach, Florida; Chantilly,Virginia; and Portland, Oregon. Enrollment is limited and all registrations are subject to acceptance. Accreditation is conditional upon consistent adherence to the Instructor’s Guidelines. Students are responsible for their own travel to the training. Cost for each level is $375. Bob Ross, Inc. emphasizes that the training classes concentrate exclusively on development of painting and teaching skills. An individual’s business sense and ingenuity determines the level of success for Certified Ross Instructors. For information on the Bob Ross Teacher Certification, contact Annette Kowalski, Director, 1-800-BOB-ROSS.