In the Spring of 1982, he was in a small room in the Woodfield Shopping Center in Chicago waiting to do a demonstration. He was nervous, his hands were sweating, and he didn’t know what to expect.
Bill’s celebrity from his “Magic of Oil Painting” television show was growing every time a new show aired. Even though Bill had painted in shopping malls for most of his career, things were different now. Every time he did a show in a shopping center, more and more people showed up to see the master of the television screen. Bill always felt at home in these malls, with a crowd around him. He still loved clowning around with his audience and showing them the “Magic” of painting in oil.
In the Spring of 1982, he was in a small room in the Woodfield Shopping Center in Chicago waiting to do a demonstration. He was nervous, his hands were sweating, and he didn’t know what to expect. He was saying to himself, “Bill, you son-of-a-gun, you’re an old master with these big shopping centers. Just get out there, and use that almighty power, and fire in.”
He thought about how he first got started in the Toronto mall. He thought about the old mamas and papas who used to come by every day with their sandwiches and folding chairs. It was like painting with an intimate group of friends. Today, though, was different. The people that day had come from all over the Chicago area. Some had driven more than a hundred miles to get there. They were there to meet and see and watch the Bill Alexander who had been coming into their living rooms on TV.
Every now and then Sid Knudsen would come by and stick his head in the door and say, “Okay Bill, it’s getting all set up for you. But you can’t imagine how many people are out there! There must be a thousand or so and they’re still coming!”
Sid was one of Bill’s biggest supporters; but that day, Bill thought Sid was enjoying seeing him nervous for a change.
Then the woman who managed the shows at the mall stuck her head in the door and said, “Just five minutes, Bill.”
A few minutes later she returned and said, “Just a couple of minutes more.” She did that every couple of minutes.
Bill sat alone in a room with four green walls, a sofa, and a low table with an ashtray. Those few minutes were some kind of almighty purgatory.
Finally, Bill heard the woman introducing him on the P.A. system. He started down the staircase to the stage in the center of the mall. Something was wrong, though, Bill couldn’t get through. Everybody wanted to touch him and say “Hello.” The closer Bill got to the floor, the more and more people there were.
The woman kept announcing, “…television star of The Magic of Oil Painting, BILL ALEXANDER!”
People were throwing their arms around Bill and hugging him. Some were shouting, “Fire in! Bill,” and “Give it the almighty power!”
One woman wanted to tell him about her painting — an old New England style barn and covered stone bridge. She was having trouble squeezing it all together so that it had the right perspective. Everybody was so excited. Bill couldn’t believe what he saw.
In a few minutes some policemen arrived and formed a circle around him. Surrounded by police, Bill felt like a criminal. He felt like everybody was looking at him saying, “What did he steal? What did he do wrong?”
When Bill got to the stage, he looked out at the crowd; and, for the first time in his life, he didn’t know where to begin. Thousands of people swarmed the mall. Bill had never been before such a large audience. People from neighboring states had driven in that day to watch him paint. People were sitting and standing as far back as Bill could see. They were even standing on the balconies.
One old guy down front yelled up at Bill, “How do we get started, Bill?” Then, it was just like the old times. Bill grabbed his almighty brush, said, “Hello. Here I am!” and plunged in.
Pretty soon, Bill was painting away, and the audience was firing up questions. It was like being with old friends.
As Bill was painting, he could help thinking, “Isn’t this wonderful? Isn’t this something special?”
Bill inspired me to pick up oil painting again after many years God bless him.