Today, 1,165 Bob Ross originals - a trove worth millions of dollars - sit in cardboard boxes inside the company’s nondescript office building in Herndon, Virginia. (and thus, the paintings) became the sole property of Annette Kowalski and her husband, Walt. Where the heck are those 30k paintings? Bob Ross, IncorporatedĪs a part of Ross’s agreement with Bob Ross, Inc., the paintings he created for TV were work for hire, meaning the company maintained ownership of his work. A scan of eBay only turns up 3 sales in the last 6 months, 2 of which are of dubious origin. Major auction houses - Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Phillips - have no Bob Ross sales history. Multiple art dealers told The Hustle that demand for his work is extraordinarily robust.īut Ross paintings are a bit like diamonds: vast in volume, scarce on the open market. Zachary Crockett / The Hustle (painting © Bob Ross Inc.)įor years, collectors and fans have clamored to own their own piece of Bob Ross lore. And even while famous, he painted nearly every day at seminars, events, and charity auctions in between tapings.Īll told, Bob Ross churned out ~ 30k paintings in his lifetime - nearly 3x the output of Picasso, a prolific painter in his own right. Pre-fame, in Alaska, he sold thousands of paintings. For each episode, he painted 3 versions of the same artwork - one before, one during, and one after taping.īut his TV career only scratched the surface of his total output. Over the course of his career, Ross filmed 381 episodes of The Joy of Painting. The actual paintings, though, were largely an afterthought. By 1991, it was a $15m/year ($29m today) enterprise. which he partially owned - used the platform to sell paints, art supplies, workshops, instructional videos, and merchandise. In each 27-minute episode, Ross would paint one landscape from start to finish, shepherding viewers through his process with a soothing disposition, entertaining commentary, and an occasional guest appearance by his pet squirrel, Peapod. The show - The Joy of Painting, which aired between 19 - was a huge hit and was broadcast on ~300 stations to 80m+ people every day.They pooled together their life savings, launched Bob Ross, Inc., and set out to make Ross into a TV star.One of his students, Annette Kowalski, was “mesmerized” by the jolly painter and encouraged him to strike out on his own.Now, here’s where things took a wild turn for Ross: So, in 1981, he migrated back to Florida, trained under Alexander, and became a certified painting instructor.īob Ross strikes a happy pose (Photo: Acey Harper/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images) His income from painting soon surpassed what he made in the military. Inspired by the TV painter Bill Alexander, he started painting landscapes on gold mining pans and selling them at local markets in Alaska. He was such a hard-ass that he earned the nickname “Bust ’em up Bobby.”īut his life changed when he discovered art. The man behind the canvasīorn in Daytona, Florida, in 1942, Ross dropped out of school in 9th grade to work with his father, a carpenter.Īt 18, he joined the Air Force and moved to Alaska, where he’d spend the next 20 years as a drill sergeant, screaming at recruits. To find out, I spoke with art gallery owners, auctioneers, art collectors, ex-colleagues who worked with Ross, and the president of Bob Ross, Inc. Why is the work of one of history’s most prolific and accessible artists so scarce on the open market? When they do appear, they often fetch $10k+ and attract dozens of bids. Yet, only a handful of his works have popped up for sale in recent years. Online, you can acquire Bob Ross paints, Bob Ross brushes, Bob Ross underwear, Bob Ross coffee mugs, Bob Ross energy drinks, Bob Ross watches, and Bob Ross toasters.īut there’s one thing you won’t often see for sale: his artwork.ĭuring his lifetime, Ross produced tens of thousands of paintings. On YouTube, old episodes of his show, The Joy of Painting, boast ~ 450m views. His Chia Pet perm, nap-inducing voice, and meme-worthy sayings - “ Happy little trees!” - have transcended time. Though he died in 1995, the late TV painter remains an omnipresent cultural staple. But you’re not likely to find his work on the open market… By Zachary Crockett: The famed TV artist was one of history’s most prolific painters.
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