MAKE 120 PAINTINGS and 250 drawings a year with four assistants for six galleries around the world? For today’s art market darlings, this prodigious output is a serious, full-time job. For one “art star,” it was only ever about joy.
Bob Ross’ infectious painting show, The Joy of Painting, only aired on PBS from 1983 to 1994, but to people from all walks of life, he remains an icon. During his run, the Daytona Beach-born, former Air Force sergeant would tape half-hour segments first in a private house and then at this humble easel at PBS affiliate WIPB in Muncie, Indiana. Armed with a flashy wet-on-wet oil painting technique, a soothing demeanor, and a well-maintained perm, Ross would inspire millions to paint their own “happy little trees,” as he called them. Soon, countless viewers would pick up brushes and palettes loaded with paint—often from his own line of art supplies—in search of the serenity and pleasure Ross himself derived from the medium.
While many admired Ross for the bag of painting tricks he would share with them each week, he was equally loved for his heartening and zen-like anecdotes and catchphrases, such as “Go out on a limb—that’s where the fruit is” and “There’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.” His most powerful message was that anyone can—and should—paint, not to become an art star but because it will enrich your life beyond your wildest dreams. – RYAN STEADMAN