Rosie Kuhn Bouse
After enjoying a tour of the CATC building with grandfather Bob Cornelius, Kai’s grandmother Martha queried the eight-year-old, “What did you see?” His candid answer was, “a place where ‘old’ people make beautiful things.” How correct he is, because Bob is among the folks who create beautiful things. He is primarily a watercolor artist who draws from his wealth of experiences as a national park ranger. His 33-year career was spent in Arizona, Colorado, and Utah.
Bob’s growing-up years were spent in the San Francisco Bay area amidst a family who loved nature and enjoyed vacations to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Bob also spent time as a young man backpacking and river rafting. After graduating from the University of California in Berkeley, Bob fulfilled his childhood dream with a career as a park ranger on the south rim of the Grand Canyon initially, then he spent the next four years at Phantom Ranch and throughout the inner canyon. Other areas of service were at Dinosaur, Glen Canyon/Rainbow Bridge, and Black Canyon. After retirement, he and his wife Martha enjoyed traveling in their RV. While spending wintertime in Palm Creek, an RV park in Casa Grande, Ariz., they took a series of watercolor painting classes from Jill Gaines, a retired high school art teacher. It was here that they enjoyed learning the ABCs of watercolor.
After settling at Robson Ranch in 2022, Bob joined the Paint & Palette Club where he enjoys the camaraderie of fellow artists. Here he gives and receives encouragement from the Second Monday Show and Share Sessions, which are held at 1 p.m. in Room 103 of the CATC. Bob plans to participate in the next Paint & Palette exhibition themed Visions Unveiled. It will be held from Jan. 11 through the 17th at the Robson Ranch clubhouse. On the evening of Friday, Jan. 16, stop by to “Meet the Artists” and chat between 5:30 and 7 p.m.
Preferring to paint small, Bob stores his works in a large portfolio. He sells some of his paintings online but mostly paints for relaxation, both in his home studio and in the Indian Paintbrush Room in the CATC building. He states that his portfolio is like a “diary,” an idea he adopted from Picasso. Also, he notes that watercolor painting has taught him patience as well as bringing him serenity. In 2023, due to his heritage, Bob was honored and humbled to be recognized as a Native American artist by the Cherokee Nation.
Hours for the Indian Paintbrush Room 103 in the CATC are Mondays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Stop by to take a tour and talk with members. For the membership fee of $10, classes are generally free and members are given priority to all classes. Participating in some form of creativity has been proven to benefit one’s health. Joining the Paint & Palette Club could be one new beginning for the new year!