Bob Ross paintings to be auctioned to raise money for public TV stations after budget cuts

Thirty paintings created by bushy-haired, soft-spoken Bob Ross will soon be auctioned to cover programming costs for small, rural public television stations that are suffering from cuts in federal funding.

Ross, a mainstay of public television in the 1980s and ’90s, “dedicated his life to making art accessible to all,” said Joan Kowalski, president of Bob Ross Inc. “This auction ensures that his legacy continues to support the very medium that brought joy and creativity into American homes for decades.”

The 30 paintings up for auction cover his entire career. Most were created on-air during one-off episodes of Ross’s show, “The Joy of Painting.” Ross was known for his calm demeanor. During the show, he often talked about painting little clouds and happy trees, and about making no mistakes, only “happy accidents.” He died of cancer in 1995.

Bonhams in Los Angeles will auction three of Ross’s paintings on November 11. Other auctions will follow in London, New York, Boston and online. Bonhams sold two Ross mountain and lake scenes from the early 1990s for $114,800 and $95,750.

The auctions of the 30 paintings that will soon be sold have a total estimated value of between $850,000 and $1.4 million, Bonhams said. All profits go to stations that use content from distributor American Public Television.

The idea is to help stations in need with licensing fees that allow them to air popular programs such as “The Best of Joy of Painting,” based on Ross’s show, “America’s Test Kitchen,” “Julia Child’s French Chef Classics” and “This Old House.”

As President Donald Trump wished, Congress eliminated $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting, forcing about 330 PBS stations and 246 NPR stations to find other sources of funding.

Many stations have launched emergency fundraisers. Some stations received more help than expectedCBS News previously reported. North Carolina public radio station WQHR raised more than $200,000 in just three days, surpassing the $174,000 it needed. Hawaii Public Radio lost $525,000, but donations raised $650,000.

NPR also encouraged donors in wealthier areas to support stations in regions that need it most. PBS and NPR have also worked to reduce the annual fees that stations pay for programming and other services to reduce their costs. Some resorts are working on collaborations to see if they can share services and reduce costs.

Still, federal cuts have had an impact. Not all stations have seen an influx of donors. PBS reduced its budget by 21% and laid off around a hundred employees in September. Stations also had to lay off staff and cut programming, CBS News previously reported. No stations have closed yet, but operators worry about what would happen if donor money dries up.

“I’m a realist,” PBS President Paula Kerger said in September. “I have to believe there are vulnerable stations that won’t make it.”

Katherine Maher, President and CEO of National Public Radio told CBS News in July that the defunding of public media services “poses a real risk to the country’s public security.”

“Public media, public radio and television are a critical part of the emergency response plans of almost half the states in this country,” Maher said in an interview with CBS News. “If these types of emergency alerts disappear, you will have less means to be able to respond in real time” to future natural disasters.