Thirty canvases, many created for viewers of Ross’s PBS series, “The Joy of Painting,” will be sold to benefit public television stations grappling with funding cuts. By Sopan Deb Whimsical clouds.

Viewers came to adore the soothing cadence of his low voice – akin to the babbling brooks he daubed on his canvases – his permed hair and wardrobe of denim jeans. The Florida-born painter helmed the ...