BOB ROSS (1942-1995) Seascape in the Shape of a Tropical Fish signed 'ROSS' (lower left) oil on canvas 18 x 24 in. (45.7 x 61 cm.) Painted circa 1993. Footnotes: Bob Ross first began painting in the early 1960s after enlisting in the United States Air Force. He developed an interest in painting while taking classes at the Fairbanks U.S.O. club while stationed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. It wasn't until Ross was introduced to the 'wet-on-wet' oil painting technique of German painter Bill Alexander (1915-1997), however, that he began to hit his artistic stride. From the late 1960s until the late 1970s, Ross worked to master Alexander's technique by watching The Magic of Oil Painting, a TV show hosted by Alexander from 1974 to 1982. Ross would go on to work directly with Alexander in Florida. In 1983, Ross began hosting The Joy of Painting, which adopted the same format as Alexander's show. Ross painted over 1,000 works for his TV show and around 30,000 works throughout his career, but very few have ever made their way to auction. Most are still owned by Bob Ross, Inc. The present painting was made late in the artist's career, when he experimented with landscapes framed by cut-out shapes related to the scenery. The tropical fish silhouette is extremely rare. Provenance Acquired from the artist's widow, Lynda Freeman-Ross, Orlando, Florida, c. 2003. A letter of authenticity signed by Freeman-Ross, dated 28 February 2003, accompanies this lot. A Certificate of Authenticity from Bob Ross, Inc. accompanies this lot. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing