The Joy Of Painting host Bob Ross is a legend of calm, gentle ease. He painted his happy trees, he smiled his big, happy smiles, and he never, ever raised his voice. In fact, the only purely kinetic moments to be found on his show were when his paintbrush needed to be cleaned; that’s when the carefully constructed barriers would drop, and the rage and madness below the afro-covered surface came out to play.
Don’t believe us? Here’s a supercut of Ross’ brush-cleaning technique, put together by YouTuber paavi2005, collecting multiple instances of the beast within being unleashed. Observe the measured rage as Ross beats the brush dry, a sinister giggle in his throat. He makes occasional references to cowed cameramen, faces scarred by splashes of thinner. Odorless thinner, Ross insists, again, and again. He never goes into detail about what he’d do to someone who brought him odored paint thinner. But the implication is clear: Happy little trees sometimes need happy little fertilizer.