The Joy of Painting episode 1 – Mountain Path: Watch American painter Bob Ross as he creates a beautiful scene of mountains, evergreens, paths and bushes in just half an hour.
American painter Bob Ross offers soothing words of encouragement to viewers and painting hobbyists in an enormously popular series that has captivated audiences worldwide since 1982. Ross is a cult figure, with nearly two million Facebook followers and 3,000 instructors globally. His soothing, nurturing personality is therapy for the weary, and his respect for nature and wildlife helps heighten environmental awareness.
In this series, Ross demonstrates his unique painting technique, which eliminates the need for each layer of paint to dry. In real time, he creates tranquil scenes taken from nature, including his trademark ‘happy’ clouds, cascading waterfalls, snow-covered forests, serene lakes and distant mountain summits.
Many of Bob’s faithful viewers are not painters at all. They are relaxing and unwinding with Bob’s gentle manner and encouraging words, captivated by the magic taking place on the canvas.Join Bob, in this first programme in the series, for a happy half hour as he creates one of his beautiful mountain and evergreen scenes, complete with paths and ample bushes.
The Joy of Painting episode 1 – Mountain Path
Robert Norman Ross was an American painter, art instructor, and television host. He was the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States, and also aired in Canada, Latin America, and Europe. Ross went from being a public television personality in the 1980s and 1990s to posthumously being an Internet celebrity in the 21st century, with his talent and kindness leading to major popularity with fans on YouTube, Twitch, and other websites years after his death.
During his 20-year tenure with the U.S. Air Force, Ross developed a taste for painting after attending an art class at the Anchorage U.S.O. club. He found himself frequently at odds with many of his painting instructors, who were more interested in abstract painting. In Ross’s own words: “They’d tell you what makes a tree, but they wouldn’t tell you how to paint a tree.”
Ross was working as a part-time bartender when he discovered a TV show called The Magic of Oil Painting, hosted by German painter Bill Alexander. Alexander touted a 16th-century style of painting called “alla prima” (Italian for “first attempt”), better known as “wet-on-wet”, that allowed him to finish a painting in a little under 30 minutes. Ross studied and became quite good at alla prima through Alexander’s show, and began selling Alaskan landscapes painted on the inside of novelty gold-mining pans. Eventually, Ross’s income from gold pan sales surpassed his military salary. He retired from the Air Force in 1981 with the rank of Master Sergeant after 20 years of service.
He first went to Florida and studied painting under Alexander, then joined the “Alexander Magic Art Supplies Company” and became a traveling salesman and tutor. Annette Kowalski, who had attended one of his sessions, became convinced that there was a great opportunity for Ross to succeed on his own, and persuaded him to do so. She invested her life savings in the company, as did Ross and his wife.