Just wanted to share this story about the woman who discovered Bob Ross!
Ross died on July, 1995 after a years-long battle with lymphoma
Kowalski, the owner and co-founder of the Bob Ross Company, met its namesake in 1982 after losing her 24-year-old son in a traffic accident. Kowalski was devastated by the event and her grief gave way to a deep depression. She coped as best as could by lying on the couch and watching her favorite television painter and personality, Bill Alexander.
If you’re not familiar with Alexander, he’s best (or most succinctly) described as the original Bob Ross—except he’s German, and bald. Alexander hosted The Magic of Oil Painting and The Art of Bill Alexander on PBS.
At a loss as to how to help his wife, Kowalski’s husband Walt got on the phone and called Alexander’s company in Oregon to inquire about making a cross-country trip from their home in Washington D.C. so Annette could take a class. He was told that Bill Alexander was no longer teaching, but a young, unknown artist named Bob Ross was slated to take over. Ross had an upcoming class in Clearwater, Florida—so while he wasn’t the man she’d been hoping for, Kowalski and her husband got in the car and drove the 14 hours to Clearwater.
Kowalski signed up for a five-day seminar, but it only took one for her to know that Ross was something special.
“I could not believe what I saw,” she said. “People were mesmerized by Bob. I was so enthralled with him that I wasn’t even doing my painting. I was following him around the room and watching him interact with people.”
“Most people don’t paint, they just watch,” she said. “They like to hear his voice. They just like Bob.”
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My wife bought me a Bob Ross shirt a couple of weeks ago. I wear it with pride. What a relaxing show. And beautiful paintings!
it is sad to think he's most known for a punchline now, but even that is a fading memory
Loved that guy!!!
Bob has always been an inspiration for me.
love it;-)
One of my favorite shows as a child! Thanks for sharing !
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Great post, i like the amazing painter BOB ROSS, and i discovered him by YouTube channel, he is genius, thank you....
That's a really beautiful story. My great-uncle was a commercial artist, and worked for NASA for a time, designing logos and emblems for the various space missions in the 60's and 70's. When he retired, he did a lot of woodworking and painting for enjoyment. One of the things he did was watch and follow along with Bob Ross. After he died, the family all chose among his numerous Ross-inspired landscapes to remember him by. Not only do I have a couple of beautiful pieces of his woodworking (a bookcase and a side table), but one of his Bob Ross-inspired landscapes hangs proudly on the wall in my living room.
@bobross.. I came here from your name bobross..
It's so true,,, I don't paint but I watch Bob Ross paint almost everyday on Youtube,, His voice and sound of his paintbrush strokes is so soothing.
I usually watch his videos to put myself to sleep.. No matter how keyed up I am, these videos never fail to relax me.. Almost my entire family watch Bob paint when we are having a hard time getting sleep...
Do you know if it is true that after finishing his work, he had been washing his hands with paint thinner for years and developed cancer from it? I watched a ton of Bob and loved the PBS shows with Alexander and the watercolor guy which his name escapes me.
Many people watched Bob Ross faithfully and never picked up a paint brush. 🐓🐓