Creation; an ode to Mr. Robert Norman Ross

In the beginning.

He wasn’t an old man sitting on an oversized throne.

He had no long white beard, no booming voice, no magic wand.

He had an afro, and oddly, he did have a beard, but it was well groomed and dark brown.

He had a palate of paints, which he held ever so close, but no so close as to mar his partially unbuttoned, collared, long sleeve, baby-blue shirt.

He also had canvas stretched out, even to the ends of the world itself, and he stood in front of it, the way children stand in front of elaborate gum ball dispensers.

And he had it covered in a thin layer of Liquid White, but that was before the cameras were rolling.

Now, the painting had not yet been formed and imagination hovered over the canvas.

And Bob said, “Let’s brighten this guy up!” And he mixed some Yellow Ochre, Titanium White, and the slightest touch of Alizarin Crimson; he brushed it on, it began to glow.

And he saw that it was good.

With a crisp fan brush he drug the Prussian Blue and Ivory Black together to create an expanse.

And Bob said, “Let’s get that two inch brush with the tiniest amount of thinner, and just pull these apart.” And he separated them. He called one Gorgeous and the other he called Magical.

And it was so, cause this was his painting, but you can separate yours however you want.

And Bob said, “We need some dirt for some trees to grow in and happy critters to live on.”

So, Van Dyke Brown and Dark Sienna were smooshed onto that canvas and became the ground.

Bob knew that smoosh wasn’t a real word, but people knew what it meant and so he used it.

And he saw that it was good.

And Bob said, “We need some happy little trees in this painting!”

He planted vertical trunks of Burnt Sienna with a very very small amount Midnight Black, because it can be overpowering.

He generously mixed the Sap Green with Viridian Green and with a circle brush he caused the leaves of those trees to sprout and grow.

And he saw that this was good. Yet, he decided to put one more big tree right there in the front (because, you know, Bob, he can’t resist).

And Bob said, “We need a sun in this rascal of a painting!”

He dipped his finger in the the Cadmium Yellow and he lit the sun like a candle in the sky.

With a dot of Titanium White he placed a glare on the greater light, and he took the number five knife and he scraped off the excess, so it wouldn’t scorch the landscape he created.

And he saw that it was good.

And Bob said, “Let’s pretend there are some old fish in that pond, cause I love to fish; but I always throw the fish back, put a band-aid on his mouth, tap ‘em on the patootie and send him on his way. And! We need some birds in this gorgeous sky.”

With a, "schwoop," he put the birds in the sky (because, you have to make those noises for it to work).

He saw that those birds needed some clouds to hide among. Now, clouds are very, very free so he put them wherever they wanted to be.

And he saw that it was good.

And Bob said, “Ohh we have to have some critters – some rabbits, and squirrels, and maybe an old opossum – to be friends with! Its okay to be friends with animals, people might think you are a little weird, but artist's are allowed to be different."

The critters he put close to the trees and bushes so they would have lots of places to hide and live.

And he saw that it was good.

And Bob said, “I mainly do landscapes so I won’t paint the people in this picture, but they are there. And they love it there, cause they are happy, because they are like me, and I created this place with only things I like. You make yours anyway you want it to be, and that’s just right!”

With the #6 Bristle Filbert brush dipped in Indian Yellow he signed his name.

And he saw that it was very good.

Thus the canvas was covered and the creation complete.

His work was done, it was time for Bob to rest.

And Bob said, “Well, the little clock on the wall says we’re just about out of time. Happy Painting and God bless.”

http://www.ikbis.com/freestyler/shot/97703

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%201-2:3&version=NIV