Bob Ross: podcast appearances and interviews

Robert Norman Ross was an American painter and art instructor best known for creating and hosting The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS and CBC. Born in Daytona Beach, Florida, Ross joined the United States Air Force in 1961, where he rose to the rank of master sergeant. During his military service, he developed a passion for oil painting after studying Bill Alexander's show The Magic of Oil Painting. His talent in the arts eventually enabled him to earn an income that surpassed his military salary. Upon retiring from the Air Force in 1981, Ross was discovered by Annette Kowalski, who had attended one of his painting sessions while he was working as a tutor. Together with her husband, they helped Ross establish a company called Bob Ross Inc. In 1982, his art class was aired as a pilot, leading to several PBS stations signing up for The Joy of Painting. Ross was employed to host the show starting in 1983, where he instructed viewers on landscape art using a quick, wet-on-wet oil painting technique with a limited palette. The show continued until 1994, a year before Ross's death at age 52. His legacy endures as a cultural icon, with reruns of The Joy of Painting still broadcast today. Although Ross intended to pass his entire body of work to family members, legal disputes resulted in Bob Ross Inc. becoming the proprietor of his name and likeness.