Bob Ross was known for his unpretentious approach to painting on his long-running show, “The Joy of Painting,” but now the painting he completed on his first episode in 1983 is for sale for nearly $10 million.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — 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 $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.”

Ross, who died in 1995, hosted the show from 1983 until 1994. In each episode, he would speak directly to viewers whom he encouraged to paint with him as he created idealized scenes of streams backed by mountains, waterfalls and rustic cabins and mills — all done very quickly.

None of Ross’ paintings, including “A Walk in the Woods,” would be confused for masterpieces. But that wasn’t the point.

“What this piece represents is the people’s artist,” Nelson said. “This isn’t an institution that’s telling you that Bob Ross is great. It’s not some high-brow gallery telling you that Bob Ross is great. This is the masses, the population in the world that are saying that Bob Ross is great.”

The first season of “The Joy of Painting” was filmed in Falls Creek, Virginia, and the painting from Ross’ first show was sold months later to raise funds for the local PBS station. A volunteer at the station bought the painting for an undisclosed price and hung it in her home for 39 years until getting in touch with Nelson, who has bought and sold more than 100 of Ross’ works.

Nelson bought the painting last year and then gave it a “not for sale” price of $9.85 million, said publicist Megan Hoffman.

Hoffman said the asking price is far more than any other Ross painting has sold for, but “A Walk in the Woods” is unique and Nelson isn’t looking for a quick sale. She notes that Ross’ popularity has soared in recent years, with 5.63 million subscribers to a YouTube channel featuring his shows.

“Ryan would prefer to take it out, tour it around to museums and things like that so people can enjoy it and appreciate it,” Hoffman said. “He will take offers but he’s not in a hurry to sell it.”

  • @Ace0fBlades
    15•1 year ago

    Can’t help but think Bob would be livid to hear that kind of money is being thrown around on a painting he cranked out in half an hour.

    • catsarebadpeople
      16•1 year ago

      Especially because his estate is in shambles. The people who produced his show tricked him into signing predatory contracts and now his family does not get any of the royalties.

    • Flying Squid
      4•1 year ago

      I agree. The whole reason his show was called The Joy of Painting was to do it for fun, not to make money.

  • @Burn_The_Right
    10•1 year ago

    Ross paintings should hang on museum walls next to Warhol, Magritte, Picasso and other greats. He is the definition of a national treasure in the U.S… Not just because his wet-on-wet technique was phenomenal, but because he inspired generations of artists.

  • @Treczoks
    5•1 year ago

    I’m actually amazed that it is priced that low - I would have expected more, given the fact that almost none of his pictures are in circulation. There are less than a dozen outside the estate, some at close friends, a small selection in the Smithsonian, and a “Bob Ross Experience” of 39 pictures moving around the world from that estate. The rest, estimated at at least 1500 pictures, is in the magazines of Bob Ross Inc, and not accessible to the public.

  • Flying Squid
    4•1 year ago

    After the losses of Bob Ross and Mr. Rogers, America lost its way.