Before he became TV's calmest painter, he spent 20 years in the Air Force.

Bob Ross was born on October 29, 1942, in Daytona Beach, Florida. He served two decades in the US Air Force, part of it in Alaska, where the mountains and forests would fill his canvases.

From 1983 to 1994 he hosted The Joy of Painting on public television, finishing a landscape in each half-hour episode. The show ran for 403 episodes and still finds new fans online.

His gentle style made art feel possible for people who never thought they could paint.

What hobby would you love to learn if someone made it feel this easy?

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