Art Appreciation
When I was little, I remember watching Bob Ross paint on The Joy of Painting on PBS. I was captivated by the way a few seemingly simple brushstrokes could suddenly become mountains, trees, clouds and reflections on a quiet lake. Then there was Ross’s soothing voice, calmly guiding viewers through each painting and reassuring us that mistakes could become “happy accidents.” For a kid watching television, it was almost hypnotic—and the perfect transition into nap time.
Years later, I can better appreciate what Robert Norman Ross, born October 29, 1942, in Daytona Beach, Florida, was doing: making art feel approachable rather than intimidating. His television series, which premiered in 1983, eventually made him one of America’s most recognizable art instructors.
Ross was the son of Jack and Ollie Ross and grew up in Florida. His father was a carpenter, and Ross briefly followed him into the trade before choosing a different path. Unlike many well-known painters, Ross did not receive a traditional university art education. Instead, much of his artistic training developed later through classes and hands-on practice. His first formal painting lesson came while he was stationed in Alaska, at a U.S.O. club in Anchorage.
After leaving the military, he continued studying painting and encountered German-born artist William Alexander, whose wet-on-wet method became central to Ross’s development as both a painter and instructor.
Ross enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1960 and spent roughly 20 years in the service, eventually rising to the rank of master sergeant. His assignment in Alaska proved especially important to his artistic career. Surrounded by snow-covered mountains, forests and lakes, Ross began painting landscapes and selling small works to tourists, sometimes painted on gold-mining pans.
After retiring from the Air Force, he devoted himself to painting and teaching. In 1983, The Joy of Painting began its television run, with Ross completing landscapes during half-hour episodes while explaining each step to viewers. The program continued until 1994, and Ross produced hundreds of paintings for it while also traveling around the country teaching workshops and demonstrating his methods.
Ross became closely associated with the wet-on-wet, or alla prima, oil-painting technique, in which new layers of oil paint are applied while previous layers remain wet. Building upon the approach he learned from William Alexander, Ross used large brushes, palette knives and fan brushes to rapidly construct skies, mountains, evergreens, cabins, waterfalls and reflections.
His landscapes were heavily influenced by the scenery he encountered in Alaska, favoring idealized wilderness rather than specific locations. Among his recognizable works are A Walk in the Woods (1983), the painting created during the first episode of The Joy of Painting, along with Mt. McKinley, Northern Lights, Towering Peaks, Mountain Summit and Aurora’s Dance.
Sources:
Wikipedia
https://www.youtube.com/@bobross_thejoyofpainting
https://www.bobross.com/about-bob-ross
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bob-rosss-first-on-air-painting-on-offer-for-nearly-10-million-180982930