The Joy of Painting television program turns 20 years old this year, putting it in rare company with other TV icons like Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street.

Bob Ross - - you've seen him before. He's the bushy-haired, soft-spoken guy painting "happy" clouds, mountains and trees in about 26 television minutes, using big house-painting brushes and cooing soothing "you can do its" to the audience. His Joy of Painting program is the most recognized, most-watched TV art show in history.

A virtual cult-like figure among varying age groups all around the world, Bob Ross is about more than painting, however. Millions of viewers agree that his quiet, nurturingdisposition is a form of therapy for the weary, and his respect for nature and animals has raised environmental awareness. Viewers feel they have a personal relationship with Bob.

Already a legendary figure at the time of his death in 1995, Ross' shows have remained standard fare for two decades on nearly 230 U.S. public television stations, a phenomenal achievement for of this genre. Foreign distribution began about 10 years ago, finding responsive audiences in the U.K., Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Netherlands, Turkey, Iran, Hong Kong, Costa Rica and, most recently, in Germany.

Bob's popularity grows by the day as a more contemporary audience "finds" his show for the first time. The 1-800-BOB-ROSS call center reports that half of the callers are seeing the Joy of Painting for the first time, exuding the same excitement as did viewers 20 years ago. And the next 20 years? Another generation of viewers watching the same relaxing and satisfying television, courtesy of Bob Ross.

What is the Bob Ross Wet-on-Wet Painting Technique® ? "Wet on Wet" refers to the application of wet paint on top of wet paint, omitting the traditional wait for each layer to dry. Using special oil paints and starting with a wet-based canvas, paints glide across the canvas with a large brush or knife -- and a completed painting appears in minutes.

A wide range of materials, instructional books, videos, art club, interactive web site and a world-wide team of about 1,500 Bob Ross Certified Instructors help support the Ross system.

Photo or video clip available upon request. Contact Joan Kowalski of Bob Ross Inc., phone 703/803-7200, email info@bobross.com

For TV episode descriptions, contact:
Sandy Siemens Broughton
Corporate Communications Manager
Blue Ridge Public Television
sbroughton@wbra.org