For anyone who grew up watching Bob Ross paint “happy little trees” on public television, being an artist seemed like an incredibly fun thing to do. In those 30 minute intervals when “The Joy of Painting” aired many people felt a connection with the bearded, afro-afficianado with the soft voice.

One little boy in Kansas who watched that program growing up would go on to become an artist in his own right. Eric Ordway is now a 36-year-old Newton resident, and he is also legally blind.

“I was born with bad eyesight,” Ordway said. “And then in elementary I had an accident that made me fully blind in my left eye.”