Bob Ross paintings go up for auction in Mass. to support public television

Fans of "The Joy of Painting" with cash to spare now have the chance to know the joy of owning an original Bob Ross piece — all while supporting public media.

Three of the iconic television host's paintings will be put up for auction in Marlborough next week to benefit public media after Congress last year revoked federal funds.

The trio of paintings, previewed at the Bonhams Skinner auction house in Boston on Wednesday, are part of 30 works set to be sold to benefit Create, the public television network from American Public Television, the distributor of Ross' show.

"It's not often that you get to hang a painting on the wall, and you've got a video of the artist actually creating it."

Joan Kowalski

Joan Kowalski, the president of Bob Ross Inc. and daughter of Ross' business partners, came up with the auction idea.

In the past, Kowalski said private collectors who auctioned Ross' work received higher bids than expected. She said supporting public media seemed like a natural opportunity to honor Ross and his legacy.

" Bob was very devoted to public television," Kowalski said. "He wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else."

The three pieces for sale in Massachusetts are "Change of Seasons," "Babbling Brook" and "Valley View." In classic Ross style, they depict bucolic nature scenes with his trademark "happy little trees."

Like many of the works going to auction, "Change of Seasons" and "Babbling Brook" were painted on his television show. Ross painted "Valley View" for one of his instructional books. The auction house said it's the first time these pieces have been shown publicly, aside from the when Ross painted them on TV.

" Our appraiser has told us that the paintings that he has painted on television will bring the highest bids, because it's not often that you get to hang a painting on the wall, and you've got a video of the artist actually creating it," Kowalski said.

Each artwork is expected to fetch somewhere between $25,000 and $60,000, according to the appraisal by the auction house. "Change of Seasons" is currently expected to draw the highest bids.

But it's possible the pieces could go for much more, said Robin Starr, vice president and general manager of Bonhams Skinner. There's has already been a lot of interest in the pieces, she said.

"Auction people are a little like baseball people, so we don't want to jinx things by saying what we think they're going to do, but I think we can assume they're going to do quite well," said Starr.

At the series' first auction in November, three Ross pieces exceeded estimates and went for a combined $662,000 in Los Angeles. One of the paintings, "Winter's Peace," sold for $318,000, breaking auction records for Ross artwork.

Judy Barlow, vice president of growth at American Public Television, said she was "blown away" by the success of the first action. And the sales have already made a difference for stations that carry Create TV, she said.

Individual public television stations pay licensing fees to air the network, which can be harder for broadcasters to afford after Congress rescinded federal funding. But proceeds from the Los Angeles auction alone mean American Public Television can waive the licensing fees for stations across the country for a year, said Barlow.

"  It was such a meaningful contribution, and to be able to tell the stations they would have the Create channel for free for a year was just something that we were all not expecting," said Barlow.

Along with Ross' show, Create airs lifestyle and cooking programs, including "This Old House," "America’s Test Kitchen" and "Rick Steves’ Europe." Barlow said these programs help provide " lifelong learning" to communities across the country.

Bidding on the three Ross paintings will begin at noon on Jan. 27, said Starr, who will be the auctioneer. Interested parties can bid in person at the Marlborough showroom, online or over the phone with a Bonhams representative.

But even those who can't put up the cash for an original Ross painting can see the three pieces in person. Starr said anyone is welcome to preview the art in person for free in Marlborough beginning Thursday by reaching out to the auction house to schedule a viewing.

"You've seen them on TV, but to really see, you know, how soft and even, for instance, the sky color is versus the impasto in this water that we see rushing through the foreground, even in the leaves that are made for the happy little trees," Starr said, referring to the peaceful scene in Ross' painting "Change of Seasons."

" Seeing them in person, there's just, there's nothing nothing like it."