Joan Kowalski sits down with Marc Summers to talk about her and her family’s past working with Bob Ross, clears the air regarding misinformation in the recent Bob Ross Netflix documentary, and shares why Bob Ross continues to inspire a whole new generation of artists.
Joan Kowalski, now the owner of Bob Ross Inc., has spent much of her life working with the legendary soulful painter, Bob Ross, a man who has undoubtedly touched everyone’s hearts and imaginations with just the stroke of his brush. As a child, Joan’s parents, Walt and Annette, founded Bob Ross Inc., helping to bring Bob’s magical painting style to life for everyone tuning in on television across the globe.
In this special interview, Joan shares what it was like working with Bob while growing up. A quiet and imaginative man whose quietness was often very “loud,” Bob had a presence to him that you couldn’t ignore, even if he wasn’t speaking. Joan shares how Bob would call her up every week with new, imaginative ideas that popped into his head, and how he’d often have a paintbrush in his shirt pocket when she saw him; a ‘conversation starter’ in case he needed one.
Because of all the love Joan and her family shared for Bob throughout the years, Joan shares how heartbreaking it was when Bob’s son, Steve, filed a lawsuit against Bob Ross Inc., with the recent Bob Ross Netflix documentary spreading even further misinformation about her family after Bob Ross’s death. In this interview, Joan helps clear the air of mistruth by sharing some personal anecdotes and important details from her past with Bob and her family.
While Bob Ross may have passed on, his legend and soul still live with all of us, and it continues to inspire many youngsters today to paint their “happy little accidents” with a joyous smile on their face. Joan shares how Bob would be thrilled to see this new generation of Twitch community artists sharing their love of art through the inspiration of his old television shows. After all, Bob’s dream was to share his love of painting with everyone across the world. He has certainly succeeded in doing so.