ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — A student in Howard County is competing to win $20,000, but he needs your help.
12-year-old Timothy John is a contestant in the "Bob Ross Presents America's Most Artistic Kid", a nationwide competition. He is currently in the top 5 in his group.
John said he got into drawing and painting in the first grade, when a new art teacher came to his school.
"Most of the time we got to draw whatever we would like to draw and it made me really happy because usually we'd have to follow like strict rules about what to draw," he said.
He and his mom were doing a Bob Ross painting when his mom got a Facebook ad about the competition. The winner will get $20,000 and a chance to have their artwork displayed at the Minnetrista Museum in Indiana, where Bob Ross filmed his show "The Joy of Painting".
The competition is also a fundraiser for Blood Cancer United, formerly known as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You can purchase more votes for your favorite artist by making a donation.
We asked John what likes about the Bob Ross and John shared one of Ross' most famous lines: "How even if you make mistakes, they're like happy accidents."
To vote for Timothy John's artwork, click here. The next round of voting ends at 7 p.m. on March 26. The competition runs through May 8.
