Robert Norman Ross was an American painter and art instructor who created and hosted The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States, CBC in Canada, and similar channels in Latin America, Europe and elsewhere. Ross subsequently became widely known through his posthumous internet presence.
Publicity photo of Ross with his easel
Ross during his Air Force years, giving a painting demonstration in Fairbanks, Alaska, c. late 1970s
Cosplay of Bob Ross at New York Comic Con 2016
Street art in Ankara Çankaya involving the painter Bob Ross, 2022
The Joy of Painting is an American half-hour instructional television show created and hosted by painter Bob Ross which ran from January 11, 1983, to May 17, 1994. In most episodes, Ross taught techniques for landscape oil painting, completing a painting in each session. Occasionally, episodes featured a guest artist who would demonstrate a different painting technique. The program followed the same format as its predecessor from 1974 to 1982, The Magic of Oil Painting, hosted by Ross's mentor Bill Alexander. In 2024, new episodes featuring paintings Ross had completed before his death and hosted by Nicholas Hankins were released.
The Joy of Painting
