I recall meeting Wilhelm Hess at his store in the town of Inverness. Chris Huntington and I ventured there in 1988. Chris had already become acquainted with him, and wanted to introduce us to one another, as I was living nearby in Cheticamp. Bill was a very interesting character. His large old store was once a diner and somewhat of a convenience store. He sold a variety of goods over the years since acquiring the business in the late 1950s, a few years after his arrival in Cape Breton, post-WWII. I recall he had a large model train set on display in the darkly lit shop- and Bill took great pleasure explaining the terrain and the type of engine, etc., as he fired up the locomotive and ran the train with great delight and a big smile visible on his face. Bill was also an artist. He had a selection of landscape paintings available for purchase. The majority of them were the same size - about 16x22, cut from Masonite. I recall him telling me his formula to maximize the 4 foot by 8 foot sheet of Masonite - cutting out several painting panels with very little waste. His preferred medium was house enamel with turpentine and he would often give each painting a coat of varnish- or "shellac" as he called it. This often gave the works a bit of a yellow tinge in spots where the varnish was thick. Most of these paintings were displayed on plywood racks that Bill made - and they were stacked in there - and you could flip through them - not unlike perusing albums in a record store. Each painting was numbered on the back - which was Bill's means of keeping inventory. The paint was applied very thick- in loose strokes, and he painted a white border around the edge, creating the effect of a mat, which he bordered further with a black permanent marker - before applying his "shellac". I recall asking Bill why none of the paintings were dated, and his response was, "then there is a risk of having old stock!" This way his "stock" was always current, and therefore "new" on the day it was sold. Bill had large paintings mounted to the exterior of his shop - clearly visible from a distance. Most of these large scale works were "disaster at sea" paintings, as I remember Bill referring to them this way. The Titanic and the Lusitania were two of the large feature pieces. I know that a few of these were purchased by Chris Huntington, and later acquired by AGNS for their Permanent Collection. Each of these large pieces had a unique "story" that Bill would share - but only if he felt you were actually listening closely. Bill was also very protective of his larger pieces - and didn't want to allow just anyone to see them- unless they expressed a clear and genuine interest. The next year I visited Bill with filmmaker Alex Busby, who was developing his landmark film, "Folk Art Found Me". I contacted Bill prior to our arrival - letting him know what was being requested-that Alex could interview him, accompanied by a cameraman and sound person. Bill was hesitant - as he was a very private person at times. That morning I walked into the shop on my own to let Bill know Alex and his crew were there and ready to film him and his paintings. Right away Bill said, in his strong accent, "Where is da Hoontingtoon?", referring to Chris. I explained that Chris was at home in Lower Kingsburg, and he was planning a visit soon. I had to explain to Bill what Alex wanted to do - and that he too was an "artist", that he and his crew were very respectful and accommodating. Finally, after about half an hour of decision making, Bill allowed Alex and crew into the shop, and even permitted them to see his larger works which were stored in the back of the shop under tarps. He cautioned them not to look at anything unless he opened it for display. He also wanted to know that we would purchase some works to make his time worthwhile. That's when I spotted this interesting piece - which stood out from Bill's more "generic" works, as it wasn't painted on Masonite, and wasn't free-hand and flowing-rather it appeared to be painted over a photo copy of a magazine print of a ship, then mounted on as-found, reused paper or cardboard stock. It resonated with me as I really appreciated the process he went through to present this image in such a way. When I asked Bill about it, he said he was thinking of making calendars - with his original paintings- and this was a prototype. I told him I'd like to purchase it, and I also picked out three of his works from the "record store" bins. He charged me $30.00 each for the "landscapes on Masonite" from the bins. He held the other piece in his hands-looking at it, smiling, his hands running over the surface, talking about creating work from magazine photos and painting over them - that he felt this was still valid. He looked at me and then a big grin came over him - as he handed me the work and said, "This one is a gift from Bill!", as he chuckled and had a great laugh. Overall Bill was quite pleased that I brought Alex and the film crew to see him. In subsequent visits Bill would ask what was happening to "the movie about me", as he referred to it. Sadly, most of that footage, along with one-off unique captures of other folk artists, including Lorne Reid, was lost in the tragic NFB fire when the building on Barrington St. went up in flames. The footage of that visit with Bill was lost, but the essence of Bill and his true colourful character still resonates in my memory after all these years. I’m proud to say Bill was my friend, and very appreciative that he allowed me to venture into a corner of his interesting life - while he was still actively creating and greeting the public in his iconic store. Another little puzzle piece in the colourful and engaging history of those heydays of finding Folk Art in Nova Scotia. By David Stephens

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