Our Bob

A Native of Orlando, Florida, Bob Ross began painting at the age of 18 when he joined the US Air Force and was stationed in Alaska.

He took various art courses at universities and colleges. He was a frustrated traditional painter which is why he developed his own style of the 'wet on wet' technique after seeing it demonstrated by William 'Bill' Alexander.

The first of his low-budget, unrehearsed and unedited " Joy of Painting" programs was aired in 1983. Fifteen years and 403 shows later, "The Joy of Painting" series was unquestionably more popular than any other art show, if not any "how-to" program, on television. It was carried by nearly every public television station throught the United States, accessing more than 80 million housholds, and was broadcast via satellite or cable in tje United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico, The Philippines, Canada, with enquiries emerging from many other countries. The responce was overwhelming; literally hundreds of letters and e-mail messages poured in each week from viewers of all ages, from all over the world.

The paints, brushes, knives and other materials for this technique were devised by Bob Ross, and there is a wide range of instructional material, including books,videos, DVD's, an art club and interactive web site.

Approximately 1,000 travelling Certified Ross Instructors teach Bob Ross Painting classes in the United States and other countries.

People Magazine,USA Today, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Far Side, TV Guide, and many other publications have printed stories about Bob Ross.

He appeared as a guest on the Joan Rivers show, the Phil Donahue Show, Regis and Kathy Lee, CBS This Morning and others.

Holland's Royal Bulbgrowers Association presented a new species of flower in honour of Television's Favourite Artist - the Bob Ross Amaryllis - officially recognising the enormous joy that he brought to millions of people all over the world.

Just what is the Bob Ross Wet-on-Wet Technique?

"Wet-on-Wet" refers to the method of applying paint on top of wet paint, omitting the traditional wait for each layer to dry. Using special firm oil paints and starting with a wet-based canvas, paints are glided across the canvas with a large brush or palette knife - making clouds, mountains and trees appear in seconds.

But there may be more to "The Joy of Painting's" enormous popularity than meets the eye. Many of Bob's most faithfull viewers are not painters at all. They are relaxing and unwinding with Bob's gentle manner and encouraging words, captivated by the magic that takes place on the canvas.