Clearly Nevada Art Gallery
LeRay and Patsy Reese owned a tax preparation and accounting business in Elko until selling it in 2014. He mentioned to Patsy that he would like to learn to paint so she got him a studio and Bob Ross painting supplies, but he didn’t do anything with them for almost three years. He would look at them, but didn’t have the confidence to do anything with them.
In the Spring of 2017 they were in Hobby Lobby in Utah and saw a poster advertising a Bob Ross painting class and Patsy encouraged him to sign up. He agreed and finally signed up for the class six months later! It took him that long to get up the courage to actually do it. The night before the class he was a nervous wreck! He was panicked and said that he might as well not go, but Patsy encouraged him and he did go. He sent a picture of what he was painting when he was about halfway through and it was amazing! It was great and he was hooked! He went to Utah every month for 2 classes for the next 6 months until his instructor told him he should become a Bob Ross Certified Instructor. They traveled to Florida to the Bob Ross training studio and LeRay spent three intense weeks becoming certified in landscape painting. In January of 2018 they went back for another three weeks to become certified as a Floral instructor. Then in May of 2018 he went back to become certified as a landscape instructor. He can now teach classes in all three!
He taught classes at Great Basin College until COVID struck and shut down that opportunity. At that point he decided to open the Gallery in downtown Elko. LeRay teaches technique and it can be learned by anyone. Most people who come to a class have never painted before, yet they come away with a beautiful completed painting!
If you are nervous about trying Bob Ross painting, LeRay’s advice is “cowboy up and do it!” It took him six months to get the courage to try and feels that he lost the opportunity of learning this sooner. There is a fear of the new and unknown, but don’t focus on your fear, but on the possibilities for creating something beautiful. Creating something is exhilarating!
Register at www.clearlynevadapro.com!