Robert Norman "Bob" Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host.
With his calm, patient demeanor, Ross came to prominence as the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, a television program that ran for twelve years on PBS stations in the United States. He parlayed this success into a commercial "Bob Ross" brand: an industry of art books and supplies. He died of lymphoma in 1995 at the age ...
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Robert Norman "Bob" Ross (October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995) was an American painter, art instructor, and television host.
With his calm, patient demeanor, Ross came to prominence as the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, a television program that ran for twelve years on PBS stations in the United States. He parlayed this success into a commercial "Bob Ross" brand: an industry of art books and supplies. He died of lymphoma in 1995 at the age of 52.
After graduating high school, Ross had a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force as a medical records technician. Ross was living in Florida early in his military career when the Air Force transferred him to Alaska, where he first saw the snow and mountains that later became recurring themes in his artwork; he developed his quick-painting technique in order to be able to create art for sale in brief daily work breaks. Having held military positions that required him to be, in his own words, "mean" and "tough," "the guy who makes you scrub...
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