Robert Norman "Bob" Ross † (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995 [aged 52]), was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, a special television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS. Ross subsequently became widely known via his posthumous and iconic internet presence.
Early life[]
Ross was born in Daytona Beach, Florida on October 29, 1942. His father Jack was a carpenter, and his mother Ollie was a waitress. As an adolescent, Ross cared for injured animals, especially armadillos, snakes, alligators, and squirrels, one of which was later featured in several episodes of his own television show.
He had a half-brother, Jim, whom he mentioned in passing on his show. Ross dropped out of high school during his freshman year. While working as a carpenter with his father, he lost part of his left index finger, which did not affect his ability to later hold a palette while painting.
In 1961, at age 18, Ross enlisted with the United States Air Force, where he was assigned in the medical records technician department. He was stationed at the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, where he rose from first sergeant all the way up to master sergeant while helping out at the clinic of the base. As he saw snow falling from the sky and onto the mountains, this further inspired his painting career as the scene he witnessed later appeared as recurring themes in his paintings.
He developed his quick painting technique during brief daily work breaks. Having held military positions that required him to act tough and mean, Ross admitted that he never raised his voice in anger after he left the military.
Professional career[]
After serving with the Air Force for 20 years, Ross developed an interest in painting after attending an art class at the Anchorage U.S.O. club. He found himself frequently at odds with many of his painting instructors, who were more interested in abstract painting. As his career was on the run, Ross worked as a part-time bartender when he discovered a TV show called The Magic of Oil Painting, hosted by German painter Bill Alexander.
Alexander used a 16th-century painting style called alla prima, which allowed him to create a painting within 30 minutes. Ross studied and mastered the technique, began painting, and then successfully sold Alaskan landscapes that he would paint on novelty gold-mining pans. Eventually, Ross's revenue from sales surpassed his military salary. He retired from the Air Force in 1981 as a master sergeant.
After returning to Florida, Ross continued to study painting with Alexander. He then became a traveling salesman and tutor. Annette Kowalski, who had attended one of his sessions in Clearwater, Florida, convinced Ross that he could succeed on his own. She, along with Ross and his wife, pooled their savings to create his company, which struggled to begin with.
In 1983, Ross was featured on a TV show called The Joy of Painting, which eventually became successful and aired worldwide. The beginning episodes were filmed at the WIPB Studio in Muncie, Indiana. With the support from Annette and Walt Kowalski, Ross used his television show to promote a line of art supplies and class recordings, building what would become a $15 million business – Bob Ross Inc. – which would ultimately expand to include classes taught by other artists trained in his methods.
Aside from painting, Ross also filmed wildlife, squirrels in particular, usually in his garden, and he would often take in injured or abandoned squirrels and other animals. Small animals often appeared on his painting canvases. During his own show, Ross used a wet-on-wet oil painting technique of painting over a thin base layer of wet paint, a rare technique which ordinary painters experience trouble with. The painting could progress without first drying. The special technique used a limited selection of tools and colors that didn't require a large investment in expensive equipment. Ross frequently recommended odorless paint thinner for brush cleaning.
In 1987, Ross attended the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was invited onto the stage by Hank Snow. The audience gave him a huge ovation; he was slightly nervous at first, but felt better after cracking a joke to the crowd. Snow was later given a private painting lesson by Ross.
Death[]
For most of his adult life, Ross was a cigarette smoker. In addition, his routine exposure to paints and solvents exposed him to chronically high levels of benzene and ethylbenzene, which impacted his health over the years. Ross died on July 4, 1995, in Orlando, Florida, due to complications from lymphoma. He was 52 years of age. His remains were interred at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Gotha, Florida.
Ross had nearly 30,000 paintings on his TV show, The Joy of Painting, which had 403 total episodes. His own paintings became somewhat scarce on the art market compared to other original works of art. His own art would sell for thousands of dollars until topping to a maximum of $10,000.
Since his death, Ross' TV show has been doing reruns on various stations worldwide, and some video clips can also be seen on his YouTube channel.
