| The Joy of Painting | |
|---|---|
 Bob Ross at his easel |
|
| Format | Art |
| Starring | Bob Ross |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | PBS |
| Original run | 1983 – 1995 |
| External links | |
| www.bobross.com Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Joy of Painting was an American television show hosted by Bob Ross that taught viewers basic techniques for landscape oil painting. Although Bob Ross could complete a painting in half an hour, the intent of the show was not to teach viewers speed painting. Rather, he intended for viewers to learn certain techniques within the amount of time that the show was allowed.
Contents |
Production
The show was broadcast by non-commercial public television stations; the show was first produced by WNVC in Falls Church, Virginia through the early-1980s, then WIPB in Muncie, Indiana from 1983 to 1995, and later by Blue Ridge Public Television in Roanoke, Virginia. Most of the series was distributed by what is now American Public Television. As of 2006, The Joy of Painting was being shown in many countries worldwide, such as Greek state broadcaster ERT3, Turkish state broadcaster TRT (with the title Resim Sevinci), German television (BR-Alpha), Discovery Real Time (Sky Digital channel 250/Virgin Media channel 271) in the UK, NHK in Japan, and Once TV in Mexico, ATV and ICable TV in Hong Kong. The show continues to be broadcast in syndication on public television stations, and continues a multi-million dollar spin-off business bearing Ross' name that sells art accessories related to the show. Reruns are sometimes packaged under the title The Best of Joy of Painting.
Format
Each show began with Ross standing with a blank canvas in front of a black background. Over thirty minutes, Ross would turn the blank canvas into an imaginary landscape, using colors like Titanium White, Phthalo Green (a color used often, but in small quantities), Phthalo Blue, Prussian Blue, Midnight Black, Dark Sienna, Van Dyke Brown, Alizarin Crimson, Sap Green, Cadmium Yellow (or "Cad Yellow" for short), Yellow Ochre, Indian Yellow, and Bright Red. (On occasion, he used Burnt Umber and Permanent Red.) As he painted, he instructed viewers regarding the techniques he was using and added his trademark soothing comments describing the "happy little clouds" and "happy little trees" that he was creating with his brush. Each program was shot in real time with just two cameras: a medium shot of Ross and his canvas, and a close up shot of the canvas or palette.
Video game
A video game for Nintendo DS and Nintendo's Wii console based on the series entitled: Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting, [1] was in production, however the developer, AGFRAG, was dropped from the project.[1] It is currently being shopped around to various developers. [2]
Funding
- The Martin/F. Weber Company
- North Light Books
- The Artist's Magazine
- Hobby Lobby Stores
- The Bob Ross Memorial Fund (for closed-captioning)
