MUNCIE, Ind. — The iconic blue button-up shirt and bushy afro are the key pieces to Bob Ross and his show The Joy of Painting. Ross and his show aired early in the 80’s and was brought to life by the Public Broadcasting Service.
“So, you know, his mission always was he, he felt sure that everybody had a desire to paint,”said president of Bob Ross Inc. Joan Kowalski. “And he’s not raw, you know, I see people in classes when it’s their first class they’ve ever sat through, I can just tell they’ve been itching to try it.”
With his work, Ross wanted to provide joy and creativity to everyone who tuned in. For years Ross and his show filmed in Muncie, switching between the Lucius L. Ball House and Studio B in the basement of the Edmund F. Ball Communications building.
“Muncie was like his second home, he loved Muncie,” said Kowalski.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump rescinded billions of dollars in funding for PBS. The lack of funding for PBS and other stations, like American Public Television, made it harder to stream the Create channel. Create was established in 2006, with the purpose of providing free, educational and inspiring television.
“And I talked to my friends over at American Public Television, and I said you know what? If like, what if, you know, what would be a significant amount of money to help for the longest period of time,” said Kowalski.
In order to help honor Ross and his ideals, Bob Ross Inc. donated 30 of his paintings for Bonhams Auction House to sell. All profits of the paintings will go to APT and PBS to help make it easier continuing to air the Create channel. The first three paintings went up for sale November 11, bringing in a total of $662,000.
The most impressive of the three paintings was Ross’s Winter’s Peace which sold for $318,000, and set a new global record for any Ross painting sold. Second was Home in the Valley and sold for $229,100, finally Cliffside brought in $114,800. All paintings more than doubled their expected prices.
“What we’re doing with these paintings is a really proud moment,” said Kowalski. “Honestly it really is, and I have to tell you, Bob would have probably come up with this idea if he were here, because it’s just perfect.”
The other 27 paintings will be going up for auction across 2026, with the next group of three being sold January 27 in Massachusetts.
Contact Aiden Murray with comments at aiden.murray@bsu.edu .
