Bob Ross Books In Order

Publication Order of Joy of Painting Books

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Bob Ross Art Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of My First Bob Ross Books Books

Bob Ross was a reputed painter, television host, art instructor, and writer from the United States. He was particularly famous for creating and hosting the PBS instructional TV program called The Joy of Painting that was aired between 1983 and 1994 in America, Europe, Canada, and Latin America. During the 80s and 90s, Bob was a famous television personality, but he transformed into a 21st-century internet celebrity. He was most popular on YouTube and several other social websites even after his death. Bob was born as Robert Norman Ross on 29th October 1942 in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. His parents, Ollie & Jack Ross, worked as a waitress and a carpenter respectively. They brought up Bob in Orlando, Florida. During his childhood, Bob was very attracted to injured animals. He used to spend days caring for and looking after them. He would very often feature his favorite pet, a squirrel called Peapod, in the episodes of his TV show. Bob would also feature another squirrel that had epilepsy less frequently in the show.

Bob had a brief encounter with education up to the ninth grade, after which he dropped out to assist his father in the carpentry work. In 1961, Bob enlisted himself to the US Air Force at the age of 18. He was stationed as a technician of medical records. Bob went on to rise to the rank of Master Sergeant and then served at the Alaskan base of the US Air Force. It was in Alaska that he first had the experience of snows and snowy mountains. He later explored it as a theme in his artwork. During his service, Bob had developed a technique for quick painting that he would use for creating art and used to sell during breaks at work. As Bob experienced difficulties and mean behavior of the senior officers, who used to yell and scream for getting things done, he had decided that he would never raise his voice or yell at others after leaving the military.

Bob spent 20 years of his life working for the Air Force. One positive thing that happened to him during his tenure was that he learned the art of painting and developed a taste for it. Bob used to attend art classes at his stations. He used to always be at odds with the painting instructors because they were more interested in the idea of abstract painting. Bob began working as a bartender on a part-time basis. During one of his shifts, he watched a popular German painter named Bill Alexander hosting a TV show. In that particular episode, Alexander was explaining about a 16th-century painting technique that fascinated Bob and he decided to master it. Later, he began using the technique to paint Alaskan landscapes on gold pans. And when Bob started making good money by selling those paintings, he decided to end his military career in 1981. Bob moved to Florida and met Bill Alexander to study painting in more depth under his guidance. After some time, he joined his company as a tutor and traveling salesman.

One of the tutoring sessions held by Bob was attended by Annette Kowalski, who was very impressed and convinced that he has a good opportunity of succeeding on his own. She even persuaded him to begin a TV show of his own similar to that of Bill Alexander. In fact, in order to help him set up his company, Kowalski invested all her life savings. Initially, there were too many struggles in the new business, but it went on to flourish later. Even though Bob’s show ended in 1994, its reruns are still broadcast in many countries. With the assistance of Kowalski and the determination of his own, Bob was able to establish his 15 million dollar company called Bob Ross, Inc. Bob always said that the main source of income for his company came from the selling of his art supplies, how-to books, and by the marketing of his painting classes. He always maintained that his TV show was only a medium to promote his products and classes. The paintings prepared by Bob, including the ones he made during the shows, were donated to the PBS stations. Bob also had a deep interest in filming wildlife. Very often, he used to film squirrels in his Garden.

Bob was married to Vivian Ridge, with whom he had a son named Steven Ross. He is also a talented painter just like his father. Bob’s marriage with Vivian ended in divorce after which he married for the second time. His second wife, Jane, died a couple of months before Bob. Lynda Brown was Bob’s third wife. The people around Bob considered him to be a secretive person. They say that he always liked to have a few selected friends that he used to hang out with. In 1994, Bob was diagnosed with lymphoma. This cancerous medical condition forced him to take early retirement from hosting his TV show. His death eventually occurred on 4th July 1995 in Orlando. The remains of Bob are buried in the Woodlawn Memorial Park. Throughout his diagnosis, Bob had kept his illness a secret from his fans. After his death, Bob has been embedded in several pop culture instances. In 2012, Google celebrated Bob’s 70th anniversary on his birthday with a Doodle. In the teaser of the movie, Deadpool 2, a spoof of Bob and his television show was used as the basis.

A book based on the life of Bob Ross was written and published by Michelle Witte. It is known as ‘Happy Little Accidents’. It was released by the Running Press publication in 2017. This book follows the life and times of Bob and describes the kind of life he lived. Michelle has also described the love that his fans had for him in their hearts. The book opens with the introduction and a short biography of Bob. The later parts of the novel depict a collection of the greatest quotes of Bob as well as his most majestic works. Along with describing him as a soft-spoken artist who loved to paint mountains, trees, happy clouds, and entertained his fans with live painting on television, the book also dispenses small branches of his wisdom. Many people consider his encouraging words and style as a therapy. But for Bob, his attempts were about more than just paintings. The people around him always believed that there was always a hidden depth in his statements and another layer to the things he used to say. Whenever he talked about painting, he was actually referring to life metaphorically.

2 Responses to “Bob Ross”

1. Charlotte: 2 years ago

   Hello, I want to thank you for sharing this brief bio about Bob Ross. I had always admired him growing up, and I loved drawing and painting from a very early age. When I could watch Bob paint, I was in Heaven. Unfortunately, I was never able to regularly watch him paint on the air.

   After finishing high school, I moved around the country and rarely had access to Bob’s program except for a few times. Working full time made it difficult to watch him paint when his program aired only occasionally, as we never did have cable. Coincidentally, at 17, I had moved away from L.A., my home (I never liked the city), to Orlando for some years, working at Walt Disney World. I had no idea that Bob lived there, too. I would have loved to meet him.

   I have always loved painting–mostly with oils–and I still prefer classic art. I don’t really care for abstract. My mother refused to allow me to attend an art institute after high school as I had always dreamed of, but I have learned a great deal over the years through books and videos. My health, unfortunately, has kept me from actively painting as I would have liked, but the love and desire are always with me.

   I could tell even from the few program’s of Bob’s that I had been able to watch that he was a very deep and special man. He was always so kind, and his love for animals is certainly telling as to the goodness of his nature.

   I now live in Upstate New York (and freeze in the winter!), and there have been many abandoned and injured dogs and cats and small wild animals and birds that have come into my life over the years. My husband and I never turn them away. It is such a joy when the homeless dogs and cats finally learn to trust us enough to adopt us and move into our humble home where it is safe and warm.

   I didn’t mean to go on so much, but I wanted you to know that Bob had had a huge impact on my life. My mother never did approve of my art, but that didn’t matter. Who am I to tell God that I don’t want his gift when I love it so much? That was much more important than my poor mother’s inability to understand the drive one has when they are given a gift that always fills them with incredible joy.

   God bless you for your kindness in sharing with us about the life of Bob Ross. Thank you!

   Reply
   • Graeme: 2 years ago

     Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of that. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

     Reply