The Contemporary Gallery at Northern Waters Casino Resort is pleased to announce that artist Steve Ross, son of the famed painter and public-television personality Bob Ross, will be showing his original work for the first time in a solo show and at a contemporary art gallery in the resort’s designated art space. In addition, Mr. Ross will be conducting a one-day exclusive painting workshop in the resort-casino’s event center the following day.
The Contemporary Gallery at Northern Waters Casino Resort is pleased to announce that artist Steve Ross, son of the famed painter and public-television personality Bob Ross, will be showing his original work for the first time in a solo show and at a contemporary art gallery in the resort’s designated art space. In addition, Mr. Ross will be conducting a one-day exclusive painting workshop in the resort-casino’s event center the following day of the opening of his solo show.
The artist’s reception for “Legacy: The Art of Steve Ross” will be free and open to the public at 6:00pm in the Contemporary Art Gallery at the Northern Waters Resort on Friday the 24th of June 2022. The artist will be attending and will discuss his work and the important legacy of his family in modern American contemporary arts. Mr. Ross’s 6-hour painting workshop will be on Saturday the 25th from Noon to 6pm. A very limited number of tickets for the exclusive workshop will go on sale May 6, 2022 at 9:00am CST.
In his 40 plus years of painting and teaching the techniques mastered by his father, Mr. Ross has never had a body of only his original work shown in a gallery setting. Entitled “Legacy: The Art of Steve Ross” Mr. Ross will transcend the boundaries of both classical landscapes painted in the “ala prima” or the more commonly named “wet on wet” technique and the modern expression of the genre today. His work reveals a deep awareness, both visually and emotionally, of how he has mastered, expanded, and transcended the techniques first taught to him at the age of 10 by his famous father, and by default, William Alexander, as well as the classical Impressionist Movement in relation to the works of Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Manet, and Matisse. In addition, and in order to reinforce the Ross legacy from father to son, there will also be an original painting by his father on display too.
“As Bethany Butler so eloquently wrote in her 2021 Washington Post article, “(The Ross’) brought happiness to many as the honey-voiced host(s) of “The Joy of Painting,” the long-running PBS show that taught viewers how to paint lush landscapes and vivid skies in less than 30 tranquil minutes,” said Michael J. Broderick, Northern Waters Casino Resort’s General Manager. “We can’t express enough how excited and honored we feel to have been chosen by Steve to show his work in our gallery and to also have a painting workshop for his, and his father’s fans and interested artists alike. As always, we are thrilled to offer our guests more than the ‘average’ casino-resort experience. This show will be historic, and we can’t think of a more appropriate setting than in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to share a master’s work with the world.”
In Ross’ new paintings the marks and traces of his father’s and his family’s heritage merge with an exciting new direction and the exploration of their subjects, as well as the living, breathing, natural forms that his landscapes depict. Each of Ross’s brushstrokes contain both the vibrancy, majesty, and the delicacy of “his worlds” as it relates to unscathed and undisturbed nature. Their forms present the viewer a very contemporary question of our role and relationship with the environment, while at the same time celebrating and enjoying it. Ultimately it explores the even more profound question of a son’s truth, and a father’s last wish. It is a true celebration and crowning event unchained from the bonds of dishonesty and manipulation of humankind and corporate greed.
“I am trying to hold on to that moment and share it with the observer and viewer alike, without any fear, pain, loss, and preconceived notions. It is truly a catharsis and a new path forward while holding on to a memory.” – Steve Ross
As a testament to the artist and the legacy of his family, the resort- casino and the Tribe will also be offering 10 scholarships to the workshop for disadvantaged Native and Non-Native youths ages 14 to 18 from the surrounding areas.
Tickets to the workshop will be priced at $150 per person and will be extremely limited. The admission will include all materials including canvas, paints, brushes, and table-top easel. Paint thinner and cleaning stations will be provided by the venue. Artists with their own materials, other than canvas and easel, are welcome to use them too. Children attending either the gallery reception or the workshop ages 14-17 must be accompanied by an adult.
Finally, as an added bonus and included in the price of the workshop, The Contemporary Gallery at Northern Waters Casino Resort and the artist will be giving a limited edition 9” X 12”, 60 color serigraph print to each attendee. Each print will be signed, numbered, and gallery emboss stamped. Entitled “Crimson Frost – Alaskan Landscape Painting,” once the print run is complete, the plates will be destroyed. It will be the first time the artist has made his work available to the masses to own and collect. Only 300 signed and numbered prints and 5 Artist’s Proofs will be available through the purchase of a ticket. In addition, attendees will be required to sign a resale agreement to receive the print.
For more information, please contact the resort at 1-906-358-4226. For tickets to the workshop, or to RSVP for the Artist’s Reception at The Contemporary, please go to https://paintwithsteveross.eventbrite.com.
Northern Waters Casino Resort is located in Watersmeet, Michigan about eight miles north of the Wisconsin-Michigan border in Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula. We are a friendly community surrounded by the Ottawa National Forest and the Sylvania Wilderness Area and are proudly owned and operated by the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. We offer casino style gaming with over 500 gaming machines that include the newest themed slots in the area. In addition, there is a new Pointsbet sports book as well as the new “The Contemporary” Art Gallery for your enjoyment.
Northern Waters Casino Resort offers a 132-room hotel, which has whirlpool/fireplace suites, an indoor pool, sauna, and a large whirlpool. We offer live music, a sports bar with food, snack bar, and a challenging eighteen-hole golf course. For more information, kindly visit http://www.northernwaterscasino.com.
Steve Ross, son of famed television artist Bob Ross, is returning to the art world with a renewed passion after a long hiatus. As a young man, when he wasn’t filming painting shows with his dad, he was traveling the country offering workshops. Steve’s goal is and has always been to share his talent and inspire others to take up a brush and create, bringing more joy to the world through creativity. More information about Steve, his art, and future workshops can be found at www.steverossart.com.
