These are the character notes for "T he Contrast of Light and Dark ." Rob Ross -- He has tinted skin, brown eyes, and loosely nappy hair worn in an Afro. He has a mustache and beard. Brown in his youth, his hair has turned white in old age. His heritage is Cherokee and African. Rob spent some time in the Air Force, but disliked the effect on his personality, so after a decade of that he retired from it in 1971. Having taking some alla prima art classes from Willa Alexander, he became a painter. He taught private lessons but also worked with the Air Force and veteran organizations to teach soldiers. In 1981, Rob began working with PBS doing standalone lessons and appearing in other people's programs. In 1983, he premiered The Joy of Painting . Most paintings from the show's first decade featured landscapes, often of the Alaskan wilderness where Rob had served. He became enormously popular and famous, which upset Willa. She claimed that he had stolen her technique, even though she hadn't invented it and their personal approaches diverged. By the 1990s, superpowers were becoming more known and the prejudice aggravated Rob, so he decided to do something about it. He started painting portraits, including soups with visible manifestations. This nearly got his show canceled, but PBS stood by him -- and the soups -- and in time the popularity recovered. Later, Rob worked in still life, wildlife, and other subjects. Origin: Although born with the potential for a soothing voice, Rob did not develop it until after he left the military. Then his pursuit of peaceful practices and his resolve never to raise his voice again allowed it to reach super level. Uniform: While painting or teaching, he wears what he calls his "timeless uniform" of jeans and a button-down shirt. Off duty, he tends to stick with similar simple garments. Qualities: Master (+6) Alla Prima Painter, Master (+6) Serenity, Expert (+4) Rapport, Expert (+4) Visual-Spatial Intelligence, Good (+2) Animal Handling, Good (+2) Air Force Veteran, Good (+2) Dexterity Poor (-2) Relationship with Willa Alexander Powers: Master (+6) Soothing Voice, Good (+2) Teacher Motivation: Never yell again. Caroline Paige -- She has fair skin, blue eyes, and long wavy brown hair. She is tall and elegant with a heart-shaped face. She is 22 years old. Caroline joined the army at 18 and served for two years. Then a bomb collapsed a building on her unit. Her injuries led to a medical discharge. Left with contractures on both hands, she wears swan neck ring splints on the middle knuckles of her fingers and thumbs. Most of the her scars don't show when she wears street clothes, but some of the ones on her chest are visible with a low neckline. Caroline lives in Emporia, Virginia . Sometimes she drives down to Raleigh, North Carolina to visit Simon and Tolliver Finn. Qualities: Good (+2) Army Veteran, Good (+2) Beautiful, Good (+2) Crafts, Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Teamwork Poor (-2) Dexterity Barbara Allan al Jarrah -- She has fair skin, brown eyes, and straight brown hair that falls just past her shoulders. She used to be a bellydancer, but a stage collapsed under her troupe, leaving her with spinal injuries that require a wheelchair. Her heritage is Turkish. She speaks Arabic, English, and Turkish. Barbara Allen goes beachcombing for raw materials to make a variety of folk art using seashells, beach glass, driftwood, pebbles, sand, and so on. She dislikes the kind of snobs who only deal in art galleries, whether artists, customers, or curators. She is a friend of the Finn family and attends Tolli and Simon's wedding. Qualities: Good (+2) Artist, Good (+2) Beachcomber, Good (+2) Dexterity, Good (+2) Outgoing, Good (+2) Visual-Spatial Intelligence Poor (-2) Dealing with Snobs Leonel Ahrens -- He has tawny-fair skin, brown eyes, and short curly hair of golden brown with a short beard and mustache. An army veteran, he uses a wheelchair due to a combat injury. Leonel remains athletic, though, and runs programming for the park service in Raleigh, North Carolina. He teaches outdoor wheelchair skills, wildlife observation, crafts, and other activities. He is friends with Tolli and Simon, and attends their wedding. Qualities: Good (+2) Army Veteran, Good (+2) Athletic, Good (+2) Leader, Good (+2) Naturalistic Intelligence, Good (+2) Park Programmer Poor (-2) Staying Indoors Alyssa Lyndon -- She has pale skin, hazel eyes, and long wavy blonde hair. She is slender and graceful. Alyssa lost the use of her legs in a car accident, and has been withdrawn and melancholy since then. At Tolli and Simon's wedding, Shiv coaxes her to dance with him. Qualities: Good (+2) Gentle, Good (+2) Graceful, Good (+2) Listener, Good (+2) Observant Poor (-2) Melancholy See Alyssa's wheelchair gloves .