Hope first met Steve Ross in 2019 at the first workshop he and Dana Jester held together in Winchester, Indiana. Those classes quickly became more than painting lessons. There were always jokes, side conversations, little bits of mischief, and the kind of shared memories that make a workshop feel more like a reunion.

Steve’s teaching has had a lasting effect on Hope’s own classes. One of the most memorable examples is the “tiny noodle”—the very small bead of paint loaded along the edge of the knife for mountain highlights. Hope still teaches that idea because it gives students far more control and cleaner-looking mountains.

Hope has always appreciated how willing Steve has been to talk about his father and about life around The Joy of Painting. Hearing those stories firsthand added a human side to the Bob Ross legacy that could never come from a television episode alone. Hope has also spent time with Steve in Florida outside workshops, which helped turn an instructor relationship into a real friendship.