Bob Ross: Raising A Generation
If you were raised in the 1980s, more likely than not, you knew of Bob Ross. Dawning an afro on his head and a goatee on his face, a canvas behind him and a paintbrush in his hand, Bob Ross became the art hero of many, and an inspiration of many artists. The painter and instructor, through his educational television series, The Joy of Painting, spanning from 1983 to 1994, taught millions of people how to paint. Meanwhile, his warm personality became something that many people latched on to and inspired by, making him an icon and role-model of the era. With this personality, Bob Ross not only painted for millions of people to see, but helped mold a new generation of artists and art enthusiasts.
Born in Daytona, Florida on October 29, 1942, Ross was the child of a carpenter and a waitress. He was raised in Orlando, where he frequently cared for injured animals like alligators, armadillos, snakes, and squirrels.
At the age of 18, Ross would enlist into the military where he would later become a sergeant in the United States Air Force. In the military, after attending an art class at the Anchorage U.S.O class, he began to be interested in painting. Later on, he developed his passion for oil painting, studying the art of Bill Alexander from his show The Magic of Oil Painting. The show would become one of Ross’ biggest inspirations for creating his own show, The Joy of Painting. Ross would study and then master Alexander’s painting style alla prima, using the technique to paint and then sell Alaskan landscapes on gold pans. Eventually, Ross was able to leave the military due to how profitable his art career was becoming.
Following his departure from the military, he would become an art tutor. From his tutoring time, he would meet Annette Kowalski, who would convince him to create his own company dedicated to the arts. With the help of the Kowalskis and his wife, he would create the Boss Ross Company.
In 1982, Ross would have one of his art classes be aired by a station in Falls Church, Virginia. Following the airing, 60 PBS stations signed up to air the show within the first year. After that, his popularity exploded.
Ross’ show The Joy of Painting would air 31 seasons consisting of 403 total 30-minute episodes. 300 public television stations would air his show, and through those stations, a peak of 80 million people would watch. People would tune in for the show for many reasons, from wanting to enjoy the art, to learning the art, or for decades before the term was coined, ASMR reasons, which is when individuals listen to sounds to help alleviate their anxiety. Many people quickly became inspired by him, by his masterful art works or his warm personality.
Despite the amount of interest from both stations and audiences, Ross did not charge any money for doing his show. Instead, he primarily obtained an income from selling instructional books, videos, and his custom line of art supplies.
After his death in 1995, the show’s popularity began to die down. However, it would become reinvigorated in October 2025, when Twitch, a live-streaming platform, launched its “Creative” category with a marathon of all of Ross’ episodes. This would explode, with 5.6 million unique viewers. Through this marathon, a new generation would become inspired by Ross.
Today, Ross’ legacy lives on. His incredible popularity from the 1980s and 1990s has been passed on to even now, with millions today still tuning into his episodes via streaming platforms. His trademark goatee and afro have become well-recognized, and he is still widely-praised for being a masterful instructor. All and all, he has become quite the icon, not only influencing a great deal of artists, but people in general.