The landscapes by the television host were sold as part of a campaign to help public television stations weather federal funding cuts. The Bob Ross painting “Winter’s Peace” (top) sold for $318,000 in ...

Thirty paintings created by the bushy-haired, soft-spoken Bob Ross will soon be up for auction to defray the costs of programming for public television stations suffering from cuts in federal funding.

The first of 30 Bob Ross paintings — many of them created live on the PBS series that made him a household name — have been auctioned off to support public television. Ross, with his distinctive afro, ...