Bob Ross: Florida’s Painter of Happy Little Trees

Before he ever picked up a palette knife on camera, Bob Ross was a Florida kid who dropped out of ninth grade in Orlando and joined the Air Force at 18. Twenty years later, he’d become the most recognized painter in America, teaching millions that anyone could create something beautiful in just 30 minutes.

From Orlando to “Happy Little Trees”

Ross was born in Daytona Beach on October 29, 1942, and grew up in Orlando, where his father worked as a carpenter. After enlisting in 1961, he was stationed in Alaska, and the dramatic mountain landscapes there sparked his love of painting. He studied the wet-on-wet oil technique from TV instructor Bill Alexander, then brought that method home to Florida and made it his own. In 1983, The Joy of Painting premiered on PBS and ran for 31 seasons and over 400 episodes.

The Voice That Calmed a Nation

What made Ross a phenomenon wasn’t just technique. It was his voice, his kindness, and his insistence that there were no mistakes, only “happy accidents.” He painted softly and spoke even softer, turning a half-hour art lesson into something closer to meditation. Decades after his death, his episodes still draw millions of views on YouTube, and his calm presence has made him an unlikely icon for a generation that never saw him on broadcast TV.

A Workshop That’s Still Open

Ross opened his own art workshop and gallery at 757 E. Third Avenue in New Smyrna Beach in 1993, and it’s still there. The gallery displays 59 of his original oil paintings (free to view), and you can take a certified Bob Ross painting class in the same space where he once taught. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ross passed away on July 4, 1995, at age 52. He’s buried nearby in Edgewater, just a few miles from the workshop he loved.