Mass. record-breaking auction of Bob Ross art pulls in over $1 million for public TV

Some folks are now the joy-filled owners of Bob Ross' happy little trees and clouds — and maybe a couple "happy accidents," too.

Three Bob Ross original paintings auctioned off in Massachusetts to support public media Tuesday brought in big bids, selling for a combined total of over $1.27 million and breaking an auction record.

Each piece up for auction Tuesday was estimated to go between $25,000 and $60,000, but they well exceeded their appraisals.

"Valley View," which Ross painted for an instructional book, went for $203,700. "Babbling Brook," painted for his television show, sold for $279,900. And "Change of Seasons," created on camera in 1990, went for a whopping  $787,900, breaking the record for a Ross piece sold at auction.

The proceeds from the blockbuster sale will go toward Create, a network run American Public Television, the original distributors of Ross' show "The Joy of Painting."

Joan Kowalski, the president of Bob Ross Inc., said she was "walking on cloud nine" following the success of the auction.

"The thing about these auctions is you start sort of realizing how people feel about Bob and his paintings and they're getting it, you know what I mean?" she said.  "They're understanding the work that goes into his painting."

This was the second in a series of auctions to benefit public television, and more will follow. The auctions are intended to help relieve some financial strain after Congress rescinded funding for public media last year.

"It's going really make a difference to these tiny stations and to the big stations, and most especially, to the viewers," Kowalski said.

All told, 30 pieces painted by the iconic television host will go up for sale. A November auction in Los Angeles of another three Ross paintings brought in a combined $662,000 for Create.

American Public Television said the Los Angeles auction haul allowed them to waive licensing fees for public television stations across the country, giving the networks access to Create for free.

Another auction is scheduled for New York in April, and Kowalski said she's hoping the paintings continue to bring in more money for public television.

" The pace has been set," she said. "We're going to just always look for an improvement. We can't help ourselves."