‘Japanese Bob Ross’ Becomes Latest TikTok Viral Sensation

It's hard to believe that artist Bob Ross has been gone for 25 years. The ultra-soothing, bushy-haired painter died from cancer back in 1995 - he was just 52 years old. It's pretty impressive that, since then, he has become more popular, more of a pop culture icon, than when he was alive. Ross shared The Joy of Painting with audiences from 1983-1994. You can still watch episodes on various streaming services, including YouTube and Hulu.

Now there's a fella in Japan who seems to have picked up the torch once-carried by Bob Ross. His name is Harumichi Shibasaki, and the 73-year-old has been creating and teaching art for several decades. After some advice from his son, Shibasaki started to share is own 'joy of painting' with the world, through a YouTube channel he launched back in 2017, and now on TikTok, which he joined in January 2020.

Here is one of his most recent videos. Just like with Bob Ross, the picture starts off very simply, looking like nothing but a bunch of random colors and brush strokes. It doesn't take long, though, to see things start to come together - and next thing you know, you find your mouth hanging open and you're totally impressed by what you're seeing. This fella - the Japanese Bob Ross - is really talented!