''Let's Paint TV'' is an American television show hosted by artist John Kilduff. The show is best noted for its live episodes, which consist of the host painting while he runs on a

treadmill A treadmill is a device generally used for walking, running, or climbing while staying in the same place. Treadmills were introduced before the development of powered machines to harness the power of animals or humans to do work, often a type of ...

; in addition, he sometimes takes calls from viewers, cooks food, plays

ping pong Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

, or makes blended drinks. The show's episode titles typically reflect whatever tasks are being undertaken, for example, ''Let's Paint, Exercise, and Play Ping Pong.'' ''Let's Paint TV'' was originally broadcast on

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Public-access television Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broadc ...

from 2001 through 2008; after the LA public access studios were shut down in early 2008, the show transitioned to being an online-only program. The program began receiving world-wide attention in 2006 when Kilduff began uploading video clips of his show to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

.."

Show information

John Kilduff conceived the idea for ''Let's Paint TV'' while working on a different comedy Public-access show. He was waiting for a

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

impersonator An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone: *Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...

to arrive and began thinking about his "

exercise bike A stationary bicycle (also known as exercise bicycle, exercise bike, spinning bike, spin bike, or exercycle) is a device used as exercise equipment for indoor cycling. It includes a saddle, pedals, and some form of handlebars arranged as on ...

in the storage room, and I thought visually painting on an exercise bike could be interesting."Ink KC article: " ouTube's ‘Let's Paint TV' comes to KC" He eventually decided that a treadmill would be more feasible for painting than an exercise bike. John Kilduff claims his aim with the series is to make people of all skill levels try their hand at painting or other forms of creative self-expression. Kilduff frequently encourages viewers to use very large brushes in order to cover the canvas as quickly as possible before worrying about details, as he feels an empty canvas can be very intimidating to novices. Although Kilduff says that the show is meant to inspire creativity in others, many of the callers he gets tend not to take him seriously. As the show was once on Public-access TV and is now on the internet, there is little to no censoring. The show also lacks caller screening. Many take advantage of this by expressing prejudice, cursing, accosting members of the show, and making derogatory comments about rival gangs. Despite the overwhelming number of

prank call A prank call (also known as a crank call) is a telephone call intended by the caller as a practical joke played on the person answering. It is often a type of nuisance call. It can be illegal under certain circumstances. Recordings of prank ph ...

ers, John generally continues to take calls. The sight of an artist simultaneously jogging, painting, blending drinks, and chatting to guests and painting live

models A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

has led some to speculate that the whole show is an ironic piece of

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

. Kilduff denies this and states that he is completely sincere in trying to encourage people to do something creative.''"

Terrestrial television run

The show originally began airing on

Time Warner Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

in 2001 and is now being seen in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Clips of the show appeared on ''TV's Naughtiest Blunders'' in 2005 airing on England's

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

television network, and in 2008 on '' Whacked Out Videos''. ''Let's Paint TV'' became more widely known in late 2006 when Kilduff began uploading recordings of episodes to the online video service

, where it has since become a cult hit and increased his live show's viewership.

Transition to internet television

On December 6, 2008, the last episode of the Public-access TV version of ''Lets Paint TV'' was taped. The Public-access TV studios in the City of Los Angeles shut down on December 31, 2008. The show currently streams live Monday through Friday 11am-12:00pm PST on letspainttv.com.letspainttv.com page:
John Kilduff - Let's Paint!
."

Reviews

''LA Weekly'' warmly reviewed the show, saying that "it jettisons the inverse snobbery of the

Bob Ross Robert Norman Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of ''The Joy of Painting'', an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on ...

tradition, assuming a sophisticated audience informed by the inescapable influence of

Modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

and the indeterminate sincerity of post–''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' television. It turns out ''Let’s Paint TV'' is indeed a clever parody of Bob Ross and company, but — like so much parody, from

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

to the novelty music of

Spike Jones Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones (December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gun ...

— this one turns out to be better art than that at which it pokes fun." ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'' noted that "Kilduff makes the average multitasker look like a

slacker A slacker is someone who habitually avoids work or lacks work ethic. Origin According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the British Gezira Scheme in the early t ...

." CBS's ''Mancave Daily'', using images of Kilduff throughout their article, spoke about ''Let's Paint TV'' and wrote, "it displays all that is wrong and entertaining about public access television". In revisiting Kilduff in 2014, they examined his broadcasting on YouTube and Stickam and his use of a treadmill for his multi-tasking, and observed "If this isn’t the epitome of public access television, I don’t know what is".

John Kilduff

John Kilduff, the show's host, is an artist and longtime Los Angeles resident. He received comedic training at

The Groundlings The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniques ...

, studied improv at

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus ...

, and attended the Otis/Parsons Art Institute.." In 2008 he received a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

degree from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. Kilduff has appeared as a guest on ''

The Tyra Banks Show ''The Tyra Banks Show'', also known as and shortened to ''Tyra'' or ''The Tyra Show'', was an American talk show hosted by Tyra Banks that aired from 2005 to 2010. While Banks's show covered a variety of topics, there was a sensationalized focus ...

'', where he painted

Banks A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

' portrait. He appeared on the red carpet for the VH1 2006 Big Awards, and painted

David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...

's portrait on the second season of ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribut ...

''. Kilduff was also filmed painting and jogging for a 2006

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

commercial. ''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

'' notes that during most episodes of ''Let's Paint TV'', Kilduff wears "his trademark crumpled and paint-stained

Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers, founded in Manhattan, New York, in 1818, is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in America. Originally a family business, Brooks Brothers produces clothing for men, women and children, as well as home furnishings. B ...

suit."" In order to avoid working a day job, Kilduff sells many of his paintings at

art fairs An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhib ...

around California. He has appeared at several art shows throughout Southern California, often running on his treadmill, painting, and doing various other activities while museum patrons look on.

Partial guest cast

* John Kilduff * Paul Kilduff (John's Brother) *

Eric André Eric Samuel André (born April 4, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, television host and writer. He is best known as the creator, host, and co-writer of the Adult Swim comedy series ''The Eric Andre Show'' (2012–present). ...

Michael Q. Schmidt Michael Quentin Schmidt (born April 20, 1953) is an American film and television actor and Fine Arts model. According to '' Film Threat'', he "has become a much-in-demand presence thanks to his versatility and his willingness to take roles to w ...

Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (born October 1, 1969) is an American actor and comedian. He appeared in ''Comedy Central Presents'' special and presented his show ''Late World with Zach'' on VH1. Galifianakis has starred in films including ''Th ...

* Deborah Hunter * Inga Svorkist * James Evans * Kelly Taylor * Frozen Plastic (musicians) * Los Cremators (musicians) * Mondo (musicians) * Ultraviolet Eye (musicians) * Rahdunes (musicians) * Anal Holocaust (musicians) * Lamont Paul *

Josh Robert Thompson Josh Robert Thompson (born March 11, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, and impressionist. He is best known for his work on ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'', providing the voice of robot skeleton and Craig Ferguson's sidekick Geoff P ...

* Mark Wentzel * Cannon Kelly * Paulette Nichols * Ask a Chola * Venus Alexa * Bernard Nacion * Gabe Rothschild * Molly Barnes * Raymond Chavez * Irish Kid Charles * Francine Dancer

References

External links

''Let's Paint TV''
- official website * {{IMDb title, 1796302
''Let's Paint TV'' channel
on

''Let's Paint TV'' channel
on

Stickam Stickam was a live-streaming video website that launched in 2005. Stickam featured user-submitted pictures, audio, video, and most prominently, live streaming video chat. The site quickly expanded to include live shows and produced content from ...

* ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

'' article
"Mr. Let's Paint Is the Most Inspirational Outsider Art Maniac You've Never Heard Of"
* ''

Torontoist ''Daily Hive'', formerly known as ''Vancity Buzz'', is a Canadian online newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It began digital publishing in 2008 and became Western Canada's largest online-only publication by 2016. In September 2022 ...

'' article
"Let's do it all simultaneously right now"
* Article
"The Legend of John Kilduff"
as archived January 7, 2016 2002 American television series debuts Works about painting American public access television shows