First Bob Ross TV painting, completed in a half an hour, goes on sale for nearly US$10 million
CTV
A Minneapolis gallery is asking US$10 million for 'A Walk in the Woods,' the first of more than 400 paintings that Bob Ross produced on-air for his TV series 'The Joy of Painting.'
What would Bob Ross think?
The artist who brought painting to the people, with works completed for PBS viewers in less than a half-hour with little more than a large bristle brush, putty knife and plenty of encouragement, certainly wouldn't have envisioned one of his works going up for sale for nearly US$10 million.
But that's the price a Minneapolis gallery is asking for "A Walk in the Woods," the first of more than 400 paintings that Ross produced on-air for his TV series "The Joy of Painting."
"It is season one, episode one of what you would call the rookie card for Bob Ross," Ryan Nelson, who owns the gallery, Modern Artifact, said of the work created in the show's debut, which aired Jan. 11, 1983.
Growing up in a small town, Nelson said he was introduced to art through Ross' show and loves his paintings. He doesn't expect a quick sale given the high asking price, which he sees as an opportunity to display the painting for a larger audience.
On that first show where he painted "A Walk in the Woods," Ross -- sporting his beloved perm, full beard and unbuttoned shirt -- stressed that painting didn't need to be pretentious.
"We have avoided painting for so long because I think all of our lives we've been told that you have to go to school half your life, maybe even have to be blessed by Michelangelo at birth, to ever be able to paint a picture," Ross said. "And here, we want to show you that that's not true. That you can paint a picture."
