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If a painting is a Bob Ross original, the owner is provided with a certificate by Bob Ross Inc. attesting its authenticity. Annette Kowalski authenticates paintings sent in person to the company.
After all, Ross often produced a painting in less than 30 minutes (by contrast, it took da Vinci 4 years to complete the Mona Lisa), and his artwork was, by design, highly replicable. Joan Kowalski, Annette’s daughter, and the current president of Bob Ross, Inc., tells The Hustle that the company had never really given the paintings much thought. When Ross died in 1995, Bob Ross, Inc. (and thus, the paintings) became the sole property of Annette Kowalski and her husband, Walt. Inspired by the TV painter Bill Alexander, he started painting landscapes on gold mining pans and selling them at local markets in Alaska. But Nelson chalks the crazy prices up to a combination of basic economic principles and social capital.
Though he died in 1995, the late TV painter remains an omnipresent cultural staple. His Chia Pet perm, nap-inducing voice, and meme-worthy sayings — “ Happy little trees!” — have transcended time. On YouTube, old episodes of his show, The Joy of Painting, boast ~ 450m views.
His wise quotes about life — masked as instructions for painting — are paired with high quality photographs of his oil paintings. Before he became a TV star, Ross also sold thousands of his landscape paintings at flea markets, fairs, and malls, often for small sums of cash.The company, which can be reached by dialing 1-800-BOB-ROSS, gets constant inquiries from folks about buying the paintings. Most families that have these paintings are not millionaires,” he says, “and the money is very impactful in their lives.”
paintings are in the possession of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. When hot liquid is poured into this mug, a Bob Ross painting will appear. Once the mug cools down, the image will gradually disappear. Bob will stay. Part of the reason Bob Ross, Inc. isn’t interested in selling the paintings is that it has far more lucrative assets on hand — like Bob Ross’s IP. In each 27-minute episode, Ross would paint one landscape from start to finish, shepherding viewers through his process with a soothing disposition, entertaining commentary, and an occasional guest appearance by his pet squirrel, Peapod.
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As a part of Ross’s agreement with Bob Ross, Inc., the paintings he created for TV were work for hire, meaning the company maintained ownership of his work. Today, 1,165 Bob Ross originals — a trove worth millions of dollars — sit in cardboard boxes inside the company’s nondescript office building in Herndon, Virginia. No one knows why they don’t want to sell the paintings, but it probably has to do with the fact that Bob Ross never really wanted his artworks to be capitalized on. He only wanted recognition for his talent, and he achieved that with his TV program. If he were alive right now, it’s highly unlikely that he’d approve of his paintings being sold at thousands of dollars. Bob Ross Paintings in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History Happy Little Accidents is a delightful collection of Bob Ross quotes, full of encouraging words and insightful wisdom. The book also includes an introduction and a biography of the famous painter. Some of his gems include:
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