January 11th, 1983

The Joy of Painting is an American half-hour instructional television show created and hosted by painter Bob Ross which ran from January 11, 1983, to May 17, 1994. In each episode, Ross taught techniques for landscape oil painting, completing a painting in each session. The program followed the same format as its predecessor, The Magic of Oil Painting, hosted by Ross's mentor Bill Alexander. During its run, it won three Emmy Awards. Each painting started with criss-cross strokes, that appeared to be nothing more than the smudges of color. As he added more criss-cross strokes, the blotches transformed into intricate paintings. While painting, he instructed viewers regarding the techniques th...View all