BOB ROSS Original Painting Gold Pan Signed, Certified Authentic - RARE! COA 1of1
The Work
We are proud to offer for your consideration an extremely rare opportunity to own an original painting from pop-culture’s most treasured artist, Bob Ross. This 16.5” (41.9 cm) diameter gold novelty mining pan was painted by the icon himself in the early 1970’s well before he ascended to worldwide stardom with his hit show “The Joy of Painting”. The black velvet painted surface measures approximately 10.5” (26.7 cm) and features Bob’s signature wet-on-wet painting technique with hand glittered enhancements. The scene includes a sky filled with Northern Lights and a snowy cabin nestled upon a wintry lake. Snowy landscapes, likely inspired by Bob’s experiences in Alaska where he was stationed in the Air Force, are seen in much of his early work and carried throughout his illustrious career. Bob Ross signed the bottom of the painting in a dark paint, in line with his oldest work and in contrast to his common red signature as seen with his television art.
This souvenir prospecting pan, which remained in the same family since it was painted and likely came from Bob Ross himself, was authenticated by Annette Kowalski. Annette was Bob’s business partner and the one responsible for helping launch his career. Annette, who founded Bob Ross Incorporated verified the validity and originality of this painting on February 10th, 2021 making it one of the most recent and perhaps last of the pieces that she personally authenticates. Kowalski, who is an expert with intimate knowledge of Bob’s painting techniques, believes this painting was made around 1971 making it some of his earliest known work. Included with the artwork itself is a Certificate of Authenticity from Annette Kowalski, Bob Ross Inc founder, which has accompanying gold foil seals from Hahnemuhle FineArt (serial number 322179). Finally, a Letter of Authentication from Vault Authentics along with registration on their website (serial number VA79744COA) to further attest to the documentation and trust of this original Bob Ross work.
About Bob Ross
Prior to the success of his show, “The Joy of Painting”, Bob was an Airman stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska for a good part of his service. He developed an interest in painting after attending an art class at the USO and honed his style by watching the TV show “The Magic of Oil Painting” with William Alexander, a popular public broadcast figure at the time. Bob began to paint landscapes on gold mining pans to sell at local markets, fairs and malls around Alaska, often for small amounts of cash. Bob would leave the Air Force after a 20 year career in hopes of pursuing art full time. While instructing a painting class at a hotel conference room in Clearwater, FL, Ross met Annette Kowalski who would go on to be his lifelong business partner and manager. Soon after, he was introduced to PBS and the rest was history.
Bob would eventually replace William Alexander, the host that inspired him years earlier and produce over 400 episodes of “The Joy of Painting”. Over the years Bob brought painting to our TVs and made millions of inspired living room artists around the world. His impact on pop culture in the 80’s and 90’s is immeasurable and his legacy today is having a resurgence with a whole new generation of followers challenged with finding indoor friendly creative outlets. Once asked if his work would hang in a museum, Bob Ross said “Well, maybe it will. But probably not the Smithsonian.” His influence was so profound, Smithsonian displays 4 of his works, rare examples of non-privately owned original works.
Annette Kowalski
After suffering a family tragedy and looking for a creative outlet, Annette Kowalski was encouraged to take an instructional painting class which ended up being taught by Bob Ross. Fresh out of the Air Force, Bob would teach lessons at places like shopping malls and art stores. Annette immediately recognized the star potential in his calm, soothing instruction and pulled resources to help manage and publicize his classes. Annette was pivotal in getting “The Joy of Painting” into production with PBS and would help grow his popularity through the remainder of his career and beyond.
Annette is founder of Bob Ross Incorporated, the company in charge of Bob’s trademarks and licenses. She is also an expert of Bob’s Wet-On-Wet painting technique and the gold standard in Bob Ross authentication. For each episode of the show, Bob made 3 copies of the same painting. One pre-show to prep for show, one during the show, and one after which was documented for instructional book purposes. With the exception of a few pieces given to the Smithsonian and a handful in private collections, Annette is in possession of the vast majority of Bob’s work that was produced over the years. Original Bob Ross art is notoriously hard to find on the open market. Annette has examined and authenticated this Bob Ross gold pan and determined it to be 100% original.
Rarity of Bob Ross Art In The Market
In July 2019, The New York Times produced a documentary on how difficult Bob Ross works are to obtain. Major auction houses have never sold any of his paintings as Bob Ross Inc continues to own the lion share of Bob’s creations. Annette has made it clear that she has no intentions on releasing Bob’s art for the public to purchase. Demand for Ross’ artwork far exceeds the availability and most of those that own one have had it for years. In the 80’s, “Joy of Painting” had 80 million worldwide viewers. Today his YouTube streams have exceeded 360 million views ushering in a whole new digitally inspired fan base. Long after his passing, Bob still has Certified Ross Instructors stationed throughout the world. With nostalgia involving everything 80’s and 90’s surging, it’s no wonder the quintessential art icon of the era has solidified his resurgence in popularity. Mountain Dew even produced a recent spoof campaign featuring him in CGI form! This gold pan is a tremendously rare opportunity to own a certified original Bob Ross painting. This is some of his earliest work which makes it even more unique. You can readily find artwork in the market for other American pop icons such as Andy Warhol. We encourage you to do your research, Bob Ross art just does not come along. Do not pass this one up! The chance may not come around again.
Shipment Details
The artwork will be shipped with an overnight service with the carrier of your choice (FedEx / UPS) within 48 hours of being purchased. It will be double boxed and extra secure. Photos will be taken of the pan being packaged. The shipment will be sent with signature required and will be insured for the full purchase amount. There will be no extra charge for shipping/insurance added to the purchase price.