Vivian Ridge was an American artist and the first wife of TV painting icon Bob Ross. She quietly helped shape a famous TV painter, but she stayed out of the spotlight.
Who Was Vivian Ridge?
Vivian Ridge was born on October 29, 1942, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Most people know her as Bob Ross’s first wife, but her story extends far beyond this connection. Vivian was an artist who chose privacy over fame. She stood behind Bob during his early career, helping plant seeds for what would become his legendary painting show.
Vivian grew up around art. She traced oak leaves in her yard and painted local landscapes in watercolor. Her parents saw her talent early and encouraged her art. In high school, Vivian focused on botanical art, painting flowers and plants with careful detail.
Her love for art led her to Wake Forest University, where she studied art history. At Wake Forest, she met a fellow art student, Bob Ross.
Early Life
Born into a middle-class family in Winston-Salem, Vivian showed artistic talent from her earliest years. Her childhood home sat near a wooded area, giving her plenty of natural subjects to sketch and paint. She filled notebooks with drawings of trees, flowers, and birds she spotted from her bedroom window.
Her mother, an amateur gardener, taught her the colors and shapes of plants. That influence appears in her later botanical work. By age 12, she had begun working with watercolors, the medium that would remain her favorite throughout life.
During high school, Vivian joined the art club and won several local youth art contests. Her teachers praised her eye for detail and color harmony. Vivian developed a delicate style that showed everyday beauty.
When college application time arrived, Vivian chose Wake Forest University’s art program, staying close to her hometown roots. She enrolled in 1961, focusing on art history while continuing to develop her painting skills on the side.
How Vivian Met Bob Ross?
One rainy afternoon in 1963, Vivian was sketching in a campus studio when she saw a fellow student, Bob Ross, mixing paints nearby. Bob Ross, then sporting a short haircut rather than his later famous perm, caught her eye with his confident brush strokes and warm smile.
They spoke when Bob ran out of cadmium yellow, and Vivian offered her paint. They talked about their favorite painters—she admired Georgia O’Keeffe, while he leaned toward traditional landscape artists. Despite different artistic tastes, they found common ground in their passion for nature-inspired art.
Unlike Vivian’s slow, careful painting style, Bob painted quickly and instinctively. She marveled at how he could create a mountain scene in minutes, while her botanical studies took hours of careful work. Their different styles drew them together—each learned from the other.
They began meeting for coffee after class, then progressed to painting dates by the campus pond. Bob showed Vivian how to create depth in landscapes, while she taught him about color theory and botanical accuracy. Their relationship blossomed through art first, then deepened into romance.
Marriage and Art Together
Bob and Vivian married in 1965, shortly after their college graduation. Their wedding was small and intimate, reflecting Vivian’s preference for privacy. They set up their first home in a modest apartment near Winston-Salem, converting a spare room into a shared studio space.
1. Artistic Collaboration
The newlyweds spent evenings painting side by side, each working in their preferred style but sharing ideas freely. Bob’s landscapes began incorporating more detailed flowers and trees, showing Vivian’s influence. Her watercolors, meanwhile, gained bolder backgrounds as she experimented with Bob’s techniques.
On weekends, they drove to the mountains or parks to paint. Those trips inspired Bob’s early landscapes. Vivian kept journals of their trips—notes on colors and light. Bob used those notes for his painting method.
Locals who bought their early work saw how Vivian’s detail matched Bob’s broad strokes. Though they rarely signed pieces together, art enthusiasts familiar with their styles could spot their mutual influence.
2. Family Life & Steve’s Birth
Their son Steve was born in 1966, and his arrival changed their home life. Vivian balanced motherhood with her painting, often working with baby Steve napping nearby. She created a special corner in their home studio with toys and small brushes, introducing Steve to art as soon as he could hold a crayon.
Sunday afternoons became family painting time. Bob would set up three easels—one for each family member—in their backyard garden. While Bob painted mountains and lakes, Vivian created floral studies from her garden blooms. Young Steve, perched on a stool between them, made colorful abstract works on small canvases.
These family painting sessions provided some of Steve’s fondest childhood memories. Years later, he recalled how his mother taught him to mix colors and clean brushes properly—skills that would serve him well when he eventually appeared alongside his father on television.
Vivian’s Life After Divorce
As the 1970s progressed, cracks appeared in Bob and Vivian’s marriage. Bob’s growing interest in teaching art led him to travel more frequently, giving workshops around the country. Vivian preferred staying home with Steve, maintaining her quiet life of painting and gardening.
The marriage broke down when Bob got a TV show offer. Vivian feared the fame and attention. She valued her privacy and feared how fame might change their family dynamics.
Rumors of Bob’s flirtations made things worse. Their distance grew too big to ignore. Despite their shared artistic passion, Bob and Vivian found themselves sketching divergent life paths.
They divorced in 1977, ending twelve years of marriage. The split was difficult for seven-year-old Steve, who divided time between his parents’ homes. Bob moved to pursue his television career, while Vivian remained in North Carolina with primary custody of their son.
Life After Bob Ross: Pursuits in Privacy
After the divorce, Vivian focused on privacy. She declined interviews and rebuilt her life out of the spotlight. She moved to a small house with a garden studio in Asheville, North Carolina, about two hours from Winston-Salem.
Vivian returned to her artistic roots, creating botanical watercolors for local galleries. She taught private art classes but skipped larger workshops. Students called her patient and thorough.
When Steve left for college in the late 1980s, Vivian devoted more time to her painting. She joined a local garden club, combining her interests in horticulture and art. Fellow members rarely heard her mention Bob, though she spoke proudly of Steve when asked about family.
Several small galleries in western North Carolina displayed Vivian’s work during this period. A curator at Asheville’s Elaine Peterson Gallery once described her paintings as “simple scenes of nature, like leaves and flowers—the curl of a fern, the veins of a leaf, the delicate structure of wildflowers.”
How Vivian Shaped Bob’s Art?
Though rarely acknowledged publicly, Vivian’s influence on Bob Ross’s painting style runs deeper than many fans realize. His famous “happy little trees” bear traces of Vivian’s botanical knowledge, particularly in their structure and color variations.
The wildflowers and bushes that populate Bob’s landscapes show attention to detail that came from years of painting alongside Vivian. In a 1991 interview, Bob said painting with someone who knew plants well improved his view of nature.
Viewers of “The Joy of Painting” might notice how Bob often added small flowers and bushes as finishing touches to his landscapes. These delicate additions echo Vivian’s focus on botanical elements and bring his painted worlds to life with authentic detail.
Vivian’s love for painting outdoors may have influenced Bob’s focus on nature as peace. He said painting helped him feel calm—the calm, meditative process he shared with millions had roots in those early days, painting beside Vivian in the North Carolina countryside.
Later Years and Death
Vivian maintained her private lifestyle through the 1990s and early 2000s, even as Bob Ross became an international celebrity. She continued painting and gardening, finding fulfillment in these quiet pursuits away from the spotlight.
In the mid-2000s, Vivian was diagnosed with cancer. She faced it quietly and painted when she could.
Vivian Ridge died on May 3, 2018, at age 75. Her funeral was private. Steve spoke movingly about his mother’s gentle spirit and how she had nurtured both his artistic talents and his sense of self.
Bob had died twelve years earlier in 1995, but their son Steve carried forward both parents’ artistic legacies. In his eulogy, Steve noted how his mother and father had given him different but equally valuable artistic gifts—Bob’s confidence and joy, Vivian’s patience and attention to detail.
Conclusion
Though less famous than her ex-husband, Vivian Ridge left her mark on the art world through her influence on Bob Ross and their son Steve. Art collectors prize her rare botanical watercolors for their delicate beauty and technical skill.
On October 29, 2024, what would have been Vivian’s 82nd birthday, Steve Ross unveiled a small gallery exhibit dedicated to his mother’s watercolors. The collection included several paintings from her college years alongside Bob, family photos, and works from her later life in Asheville.
The exhibition catalog quoted Steve: “My mother taught me that true art doesn’t need spotlights or cameras. She found beauty in leaves, petals, and quiet moments—things most people walk past without noticing.”
At her death, Vivian’s net worth was about $1 million—small next to Bob’s fortune, but fitting her quiet career. More valuable than financial assets, however, was her artistic legacy—preserved in her works and in the techniques she shared with Bob and Steve.
For fans of Bob Ross who discover Vivian’s story, she offers a reminder that behind many famous artists stands a network of influences and supporters. Her preference for privacy doesn’t diminish her contribution to one of television’s most beloved artistic journeys—it simply means we must look a little closer to appreciate the brushstrokes she added to the bigger picture.
