*To celebrate the start of the spring semester, the Student Resource Committee hosted a tribute to everyone’s favorite military-sergeant-turned-inspirational-art-teacher, Bob Ross, as a part of Spring Welcome Week. While streaming his painting tutorials via Netflix, organizers encouraged students to try their hands at painting tiny bushes, trees and landscapes at Kimmel on Wednesday. What resulted was a relaxing evening of Ross’ auditorily orgasmic instruction and some truly impressive works of incredibly indistinguishable art.

While Ross used various acrylic paints, simple watercolors were provided for the event — you know, those little rows of colors used in standard elementary school classrooms. Of course, this by no means reflects an oversight by the SRC — rather, it lent itself to a bold commentary on the sad truth that most art forms are incredibly cost-prohibitive. This carried itself into the art that was created. While Ross gives instructions in his videos, he simultaneously encourages viewers to use creative license. This came as a welcome reminder that the first step for any self-respecting artist is to stop being a sheep and do whatever you want.

One stand-out piece depicted a particularly melancholic dog that looked like an Ewok, suggesting that fandoms have become too self-serious since the release of “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” making pop culture as a whole more miserable. Perhaps one of the most politically charged pieces of the night was a painting of several aliens tumbling out of a UFO into a body of water — a tragic reminder that if extraterrestrial life ever came to earth, they would surely look at our current political climate and hurl themselves into the ocean.

Truly, however, there was not a single poorly-executed piece of student artwork at the “Painting with Bob Ross” event — it was clear that every single attendee gave it their all. Going in somewhat expecting to have a bunch of art to playfully riff off of, the sheer talent in the room was admittedly disappointing. The various landscapes created were gorgeous, ranging from the minimalist and pastel to the technicolored and abstract. The fact that people could make such detailed works with watercolors was nothing short of baffling — especially given these artists’ speed, completing their oeuvres in a little over an hour.

Ultimately, SRC’s “Painting with Bob Ross” event was a success. There was something incredibly encouraging and invigorating about seeing such incredible art being made in a fun and casual space. It’s a reminder that everyone is capable of art in one form or another, and that great and simple pieces can be made under any circumstance. That’s the kind of idea and message Ross advocated in his time, and it’s one that was undoubtedly embodied by the evening.

*Artist names have been removed from this piece for satirical reasons.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Feb. 6 print edition. Email Carter Glace at [email protected].