There's a website out there called Mental Floss that is quickly becoming one of my favorite reads. This past week, as I was "perusing" the website (sorry, the story involves PBS so I thought I better use a fancy word), I ran across a story about Bob Ross.

Bob Ross and his "happy little trees" helped introduce thousands of amateur painters to the art world - despite the fact the "serious" art establishment never did have much time for him. But even now, almost two decades after his death, Ross' show The Joy of Painting still attracts a large following in syndication.

And I'm proud to say I'm one of those. Whenever I'm channel surfing and I happen to run across one of Bob Ross' shows, that's where I stop. There's just something about "his little world" that draws me in. Maybe it's the wanna-be-painter inside of me trying to get out.

In this article I ran across, it talked about five little-know facts about Ross that many people are not aware of. For example, why did he speak in such a soft tone? Or did he purposely perm his hair to be that way?

Sit back and enjoy:

1. Ross Was a Military Man

Ross' quiet voice and gentle demeanor made him the perfect host for The Joy of Painting, but those traits might have kept him from being the perfect soldier. Before Ross became a TV painter, he spent 20 years in the United States Air Force and retired with the rank of master sergeant. In fact, an early assignment to Alaska helped expose the Florida native to the snowy mountains and evergreens that would become staples of his art.

Viewers might find it surprising that the serene Ross was an Air Force sergeant, and it sounds like the painter thought it was a little odd himself. He once told the Orlando Sentinel,

"I was the guy who made you scrub the latrine, the guy who made you make your bed, the guy who screamed at you for being late to work. The job required me to be a mean, tough person. And I was fed up with it."

When Ross retired from the Air Force, he allegedly vowed never to scream again.

2. Ross Worked for Free

The Joy of Painting ran new seasons on PBS from 1983 to 1994, so even at public broadcasting rates the show must have made Ross quite a bit of loot, right? Not quite. Ross actually did the series for free; his income came from Bob Ross Inc. Ross' company sold art supplies and how-to videotapes, taught classes, and even had a group of traveling art instructors who roamed the world teaching painting.

How did Ross find the time to tape all of those shows for free? He could record a season almost as fast as he could paint. Ross could bang out an entire 13-episode season of The Joy of Painting in just over two days, which freed him up to get back to teaching lessons.

3. Ross Hardly Ever Sold His Paintings

In a 1991 interview with the New York Times, Ross claimed he'd made over 30,000 paintings since he was an 18-year-old stationed in Alaska with the Air Force. When Ross died of lymphoma in 1995, most of his paintings either ended up in the hands of charity or PBS.

That's not to say there aren't any Ross paintings floating around, though. While he generally didn't sell his canvasses, Ross did sell some souvenir gold pans during his stint in Alaska. At the time, the amateur artist got $25 a pop for a gold pan with an Alaskan scene painted in the bottom.

4. Ross Was An Animal Lover

Before he ever picked up a paintbrush, Ross was an animal lover. During his childhood in Florida, he once shocked his mother by trying to nurse a wounded alligator back to health in the family's bathtub. Throughout his adult life, he maintained his soft spot for animals; his Florida home usually housed any number of critters that Ross was trying to help rehabilitate. At various times he played host to birds with broken wings, orphaned baby squirrels, even an epileptic squirrel that lived in his empty Jacuzzi.

Ross liked animals so much that he would video tape squirrels in his backyard. During the early 1990s, Ross had hoped to develop a new non-painting show that would introduce children to a variety of new wildlife.

5. Ross DID NOT like the Fro

It's hard to think of Bob Ross and not immediately key in on the giant bushy cloud of hair on top of his head, and Ross knew it. Unfortunately, he also supposedly hated the haircut. Ross had an uncanny knack for marketing, though, so he knew that trimming his locks would probably undercut part of his business. So, Ross decided to stick with his trademark look, and even had his permed look emblazoned on every tube of Bob Ross Inc. art supplies.

(Mental Floss)

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