Bill Martz …51 Years Together Was Not Enough

Hard to believe Bill died eleven years ago today. I miss him so much. Glad I had his company for 51 years. But that was not long enough.

The following article by Mark Huffman was published in the annual bulletin  of the  Northumberland County Historical Society. Vol.LXII-2025.

Bill Martz: The Northern Neck  Through The Eyes of an Artist

by Mark Huffman

     Some people preserve the history of a region and its people by writing about them in a book. For nearly four decades, Bill Martz preserved the heritage and culture of Northumberland County, Virginia, and the Northern Neck, with a paintbrush. At the time of his death on 3 October 2015, Martz had poured his heart into thousands of paintings and other works that captured the soul of the region—from watermen, farmers, and buildings to natural landscapes and the diverse wildlife that inhabit the Chesapeake Bay. 

     Bill and his wife, Theresa, came to Northumberland County in 1978, and Bill instantly fell in love with what he found. He was captivated by the watermen working on the rivers by dawn’s early light, the farmers storing crops in weathered barns, and the heron creeping along the shoreline, blending in with the driftwood as they stalked their prey. “He thought the Northern Neck belonged to him,” Theresa Martz said. 

Using His Artistic Talent in the Navy

     William Allen Martz, born on 2 April 1942 in Harford County, Maryland, was gifted with an artistic talent at an early age. While his peers in elementary school were drawing stick people, Bill was drawing people in human form and putting clothes on them. That artistic ability served him well when he joined the U.S. Navy at age 17. The Navy sent Bill to school to study propulsion, and when he returned to his ship, he often worked with the ship’s engineers, listening to them describe a special part they wanted to make, and then sketched the design.

Puff the Magic Dragon  Assignment in the Navy

     He ended up in San Diego on a destroyer that was assigned to escort an aircraft carrier on an extensive tour.  His most artistic assignment while in the navy, given on the return trip, was to design a massive banner depicting a dragon, which hung from the third level down to the main deck. It took him about three weeks to draw and paint the huge figure on canvas. When the ship proudly returned to San Diego, the dragon was clearly visible to all on shore, a band was playing “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and it was rigged with CO2 to make it appear that smoke was coming from its nostrils. In his spare time aboard ship, Bill made drawings to entertain his shipmates and did sketches of his fellow sailors to send home to their wives and girlfriends, all the while honing his craft. 

Met His Wife

     Bill left the Navy as a 2nd Class Machinist’s Mate after five years of service. Not long after leaving the service, Bill moved to the Richmond area to take a job and, as it turned out, took a room in the same boarding house as Theresa. “He’d knock on my door to wake me in the morning and leave a cup of coffee in a plastic cup at the door before he left for work,” Theresa recalls. “Whenever I’d come home from a date, Bill would be painting, and we’d talk into the wee hours. Six months later, we married.”  

HVAC/R Technician,  Maryland Institute College of Art, and air conditioning and refrigeration schools

     Still in their early 20s, Bill and Theresa eventually moved to the Baltimore area, where Bill worked several jobs, including as a heating and air conditioning technician. He found time to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art while also attending air conditioning and refrigeration schools, always longing to pursue his dream as an artist.  

Quit their Jobs and moved to the Northern Neck in 1978

     While living in Baltimore, a colleague offered the couple the use of a trailer he owned in Edwardsville that he was not currently using. Bill was not familiar with the Northern Neck, but Theresa, from the Richmond area, had spent time there.  As the couple got into their mid-30s and life was quickly passing by, the life of an artist beckoned. It was now or never. The Martzes quit their jobs and moved to the Northern Neck from Baltimore in 1978.   

Arrived in the Northern Neck with Only $80

     “We came here with only $80 to our name,” Theresa said. “No jobs, and everything we owned was in our truck that still belonged to the bank.” The couple embraced the “starving artist” lifestyle, but both looked for jobs to make life a little easier.  There was no work to be found. “We even offered to work for free until they saw what we could do, but no one would hire us,” Theresa said. 

Offered a Job and Turned it Down

     Finally, Bill was offered a full-time job as an HVAC technician, but that job would not have allowed Bill to accomplish what he had come to the Northern Neck to do. They both decided they had to follow their dream. But with no money coming in, it was going to be hard. “I often wondered why we chose such a hard road,” Theresa said. “But in looking back, I see that God guided us and then helped us to walk that hard road, allowing Bill to do what we both knew he was meant to do.”   

Posting Index Cards offering to do “odd jobs” on the post office bulletin board

     To make a little money, Bill posted index cards on the post office bulletin board, offering to do “odd jobs.” An 80-year-old widow was the first to call, saying termites had destroyed the threshold of her doorway, so Bill replaced it. While he worked, the woman told him she had not had running water for over a year because her pump was broken, and she lacked the money to have it repaired. Her friends knew about it, but no one offered to help. When Bill gathered the right tools, he returned to get the water flowing again. Though he and Theresa desperately needed money, he didn’t charge her for repairing the pump. 

Simple Method

     Bills reputation for character spread before his reputation as an artist did. When Bill could do odd jobs, he did them but was always eager to return to his art. Bill’s early method was simple but highly effective. He possessed few tools. An old lunch box contained his art pencils and paper. He would find a secluded spot among the bushes along the water’s edge and wait—often for hours. His patience was rewarded when wildlife—deer, otters, heron, and osprey would come close, not knowing they were being carefully observed and captured on paper. Gradually, Bill added a few tools, such as a pair of binoculars and a camera. 

The Benefit of Starting with Simple

     In a 2012 interview, he explained, “I learned to use my eye better by not having much equipment. Being there and seeing things. And if you’re camouflaged, got yourself in a situation among the rushes and the natural environment, then you blend in, and animals and ducks, they come closer.” 

Pictures of this Precarious Encounter are on Bill’s website here.

     Once, Bill came dangerously close to the natural environment as told in a story on BillMartz.com. Bill was doing fieldwork by the water in the spring and heard rustling in the brush. A little skunk passed him and went into the underbrush. A few minutes later, he emerged from the underbrush, and Bill started taking pictures. The skunk was only a few feet away. Bill bravely continued to snap photos as the small creature approached him. It was only after the skunk came into contact with Bill’s foot that the skunk looked up to see him. But as the skunk raised his tail, he seemed to sense that Bill was not a threat, rather a natural part of the environment, and then turned and casually walked back into the brush. 

Virginia Wildlife magazine spread, teaching at Rappahannock Community College, and first major exhibit

     Slowly but surely, Bill’s reputation began to spread, and opportunities opened. His exposure increased with a two-page spread of his art in the Virginia Wildlife magazine in August 1981, and the publication purchased two watercolors for covers. Rappahannock Community College announced in September that he would be teaching classes at the South Campus. On November 8, 1981, in a first in the Northern Neck, the Martzes held a very successful exhibit of Bill’s work, attended by over 500 people, at what was then the Bank of Virginia in Burgess. 

    Increasingly, budding artists turned to Bill Martz as an art instructor going into 1982. He taught at both RCC campuses and presented classes, workshops, and exhibitions of his work at many venues. On occasion, he would hold workshops on painting on location. It was a hands-on experience as Bill accompanied students to waterfront and wooded locations.     

     What had been a dream for the couple only three years before was coming true—Bill was on the road to becoming a successful artist. In June 1982, he drew the old courthouse in Heathsville in pen and ink and allowed the county to use it as the cover of the 1982–1983 County Directory. On June 27, 1982, a framed limited edition print entitled “Historical Northumberland County” by Bill Martz was presented to the Northumberland County Historical Society in memory of Homer and Mary Downing of Lottsburg.” The print depicts seven Northumberland County scenes and sowed the seeds for the commemorative prints that would come later. 

Bill Martz Impressions

          By the mid-eighties, Bill and Theresa were well established in the community. His sales of watercolors, pen-and-ink drawings, and prints increased.  Bill continued to produce fresh art, exhibit, and teach. They named their endeavor Bill Martz Impressions and added new products. Note cards and stationery with Bill’s pen-and-ink drawings were the first product and were highly popular. Over the years, they increased the selection and sold hundreds of sets. They also expanded the product line to include calendars, t-shirts, and sweatshirts bearing his artwork. 

A Project for  Miriam Haynie, author of The Stronghold and other historical works,

     One of the locals who was impressed by Bill’s early work was Miriam Haynie, author of The Stronghold and other historical works, and an accomplished artist herself. One day in 1985, Mrs. Haynie called Theresa and said she had something she wanted Bill to do for her. When the Martzes arrived at her home in Reedville, she told Bill she would like him to create a series of drawings of “Pleasant Grove,” her family’s Northumberland County estate, where she grew up. When Bill asked if she had pictures, she replied that she didn’t. “I’ll just describe everything to you,” she said. “Will that work?” Before Bill could utter a word of doubt, Theresa blurted, “Of course he can do it!” 

“They’ve embraced Bill Martz as their own.”

     It was not an easy task, to say the least, but Theresa says Mrs. Haynie loved the results. She would later tell Theresa that “come-heres” were not readily accepted by the families who had been in Northumberland County for centuries. But, as Mrs. Haynie told Theresa, “They’ve embraced Bill Martz as their own.” Indeed, many lifelong residents considered Bill Martz part of the Northern Neck’s history. The two artists established an enduring friendship and would have the opportunity to work together again in 1989, when Martz sponsored an exhibit at RCC featuring African paintings Miriam had created during a 1972 trip to Africa.

1 of 86 artists in the U.S. invited to take Robert Bateman’s Master Class at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin.

     In 1986, Bill received a singular honor when he was one of 86 artists in the U.S. invited to take Robert Bateman’s Master Class at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin. Bateman is a world-renowned naturalist and artist.   

 Commissions outside the Northern Neck  an Example

     Bill began to exhibit his work outside of the region and drew interest from art collectors. For example, a couple from Delaware commissioned a painting that was to represent nature but show the presence of man. The resulting painting was of a small covey of quail in the brush. That was the representation of nature. The presence of man was much more subtle. Looking closely, an observer could see an old barbed-wire fence running through the trees. The couple was delighted. 

     Time Consuming Projects

     When Bill had gathered enough work, a process that, at first, took years, not months, these sales brought the Martzes enough income so that they could live, if modestly, at least comfortably. (1) Slowly, the commissions increased, and so did the prices of Bill’s paintings. Many of his paintings were more complex and required many hours of work. “When we did big projects, that was a time that Bill couldn’t do anything but that,” Theresa said. “After he finished, I had to work on my part, and I couldn’t do anything else, so he would do the cooking.” 

Richmond County Print

     Beginning around 1992, Bill began producing a series of pen-and-ink commemorative prints commissioned by their respective counties. Nearly everyone in the Northern Neck has seen these prints because many still hang in offices throughout the region. The Richmond County print was first, followed by the Northumberland County print six years later.

Northumberland County Print

     In 1998, the Northumberland County 350^th Anniversary Committee commissioned Martz to create a Northumberland print. Expanding on his earlier, smaller print, Bill created pen-and-ink representations of 34 historical sites in the county, including Cobbs Hall, Ditchley, Oakley, Mantua, The Gables, and West End. It also shows the old fish wharf on Cockrell’s Creek in Reedville, Great Wicomico Light House, Smith Point Light House, Menhaden vessels, and a waterman’s workboat.

     Countless hours went into the creation of the commemorative print. Bill spent more than 1,000 creating the art work and Theresa spent over 500 hours researching the sites to provide the documentation for the project. The result is an accurate capture of a part of the county’s history.

Westmoreland, King George County, and Colonial Beach,  and Chesapeake Bay Watermen prints followed

     In the following years, Bill produced similar prints commemorating Westmoreland and King George Counties and Colonial Beach. In 2000, Bill created a print celebrating the heritage of Chesapeake Bay watermen, not because anyone commissioned it, but because, as Theresa says, he thought it should be done.

2 Portraits in the Northumberland County courthouse

Bill also produced portraits of two Northumberland County officials—Supervisors Ralph Hundley and James Long, that now hang in the Northumberland County courthouse.

Preserving for Future Generations What Was Quickly Disappearing

     His realization that the pace of change in the Northern Neck was gathering steam was part of what drove Bill. Old buildings would soon be gone. Development would drive away wildlife. But he would capture it on canvas and preserve it for future generations. In the 2012 interview, Bill confided that, “What I’m doing today is always for the future—collecting material, seeing things.” 

     “I’m always looking for art if it’s in the form of landscapes or waterscapes, including wildlife. “I’m looking for the things that are disappearing—the watermen and the (old wooden) boats before they do totally disappear,” Martz explained. He noted that not all development was on the waterfront, as old barns and other old structures were removed or replaced by modern ones, altering the landscape and the wildlife habitat. He thought that when large, new homes replaced the homes built early in the century, some with unique additions, some of the charm was lost. He was quick to point out that some development helped increase deer herds and turkey flocks, since it reduced hunting in some areas. 

One of Bill’s Secrets to Success as an Artist

     One secret to Bill Martz’s success as an artist is the fact that he did not move at the breakneck pace of most people in the modern world. Because his eye moved at a slower pace, he saw things that most people don’t. “It takes time, and it takes an artist with an artistic view and insight, to see what other people miss,” Bill said in the 2012 interview.

Painting on Location

     When asked what he liked to paint, Bill answered with an explanation that probably accounts for his success as an artist. “I don’t know, I think everything I do is enjoyable. I just like going out and painting along the bank for one thing. You can’t help it that there’s ducks there and ospreys and eagles. They’re just going to show up and that’s what happens a lot of the time in the process of doing a painting. Things happen. A waterman may go by and you can include him in your painting. Turkeys or deer will go by, not aware that you’re there. 

A Bill Martz Painting Touches People in Different Ways  

   We know Bill Martz as the consummate artist, a keen observer with the ability to transfer an image from his eye to paper and, somehow, evoke human emotions in the result. A Bill Martz painting touches people in different ways but almost always delivers a spiritual experience, something Theresa says is no accident. “Before Bill painted anything, he prayed about it,” she said. 

Limited-edition Hardback Book – Now a Collector’s Item

     In 2003, Bill published the Northern Neck Illustrated Journal, a beautiful, limited-edition hardback book that is now a collector’s item. The book has over 100 Bill Martz drawings, 35 of which capture scenes in Northumberland County and dozens more synonymous with all of the Northern Neck, making Bill’s artwork accessible to more people in the Northern Neck. 

     Among the drawings that capture Northumberland scenes are old Lewisetta Marina, variou Butler Railway scenes, farmers harvesting grain, barges loaded with grain at Bundick, watermen doing various tasks, scenes of Kinsale commerce, Hughlett’s Tavern, Smith Point Light, the old schoolhouse at Hull Neck, and scenes from the Reedville fish dock. 

An Interesting Story About a Northumberland County Business of 1866 -1931 included in book

    The Journal also features an interesting story about a Northumberland County business that many people may not know about. Bill drew the image of a post office hand stamp produced at Chambers in Lodge, near Callao. The page tells the story of  the beginning of this business, founded by Benjamin Chambers, Sr., in 1866 in Washington, D.C. It had the contract to produce hand stamps for the U.S. Post Office Department. Benjamin Chambers, Jr., moved the business to Northumberland County 11 years later because he thought it would be easier to protect trade secrets in a secluded area. The business was a significant economic driver in the county until 1931, when the Post Office Department moved to rubber stamps and awarded the contract to Pitney-Bowes.  

Another Reason for Bill’s Success

     Martz’s success in the Northern Neck was due not only to his remarkable talents as an artist, but also to his ability to so vividly represent the beauty and uniqueness of the landscape, wildlife, and population of the Northern Neck. As an area isolated from the beginning of the colonial period, no one had ever described it so well with so few words. There was probably no one who understood that better than Jean Harper. As a reporter for the Northumberland Echo and the Northern Neck News, she had championed Martz as a “new artist” early in his career. In October 2006, she described his artistic journey while reporting on an exhibit.

     “The art of Bill Martz has come a long way. While his early works were brilliant and caught the essence of scenes from the Northern Neck, his works today in oil are paintings that feed the soul. When viewing these paintings, you can almost see the movement of grasses in the marshlands, the rippling of water as ducks swim by, or a tree shimmering in the distance as its leaves dance in the sunlight. One can almost smell the mustiness of old buildings that dot the landscape along the dusty roads that meander through the Northern Neck and on to Martz’s paintings.”   

Bill invited to paint George Washington’s Birthplace 

     In 2008, the George Washington Birthplace Association invited Bill to spend months in the park to help draw attention to the attraction by creating paintings of this beautiful National Monument Park in Westmoreland County. While the resulting show won rave reviews, the most meaningful reviews came from the park rangers, who attended their own private show. They were thrilled at the depiction of the landscapes and wildlife that were part of their daily lives. 

Susan Lake, Director of Collections, Emeritus at the Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian Institution comments

     Bill Martz’s untimely death in 2015 left a vacuum in the wildlife art world. Susan Lake, director of collections, emeritus at the Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., said “the Northern Neck is very fortunate to have had an artist of Bill Martz’s quality.His paintings aptly capture the natural beauty and culture of this extraordinary area,” Lake said. “Bill’s love of and devotion to the rural lifestyle of the Chesapeake Bay area is fluidly and confidently memorialized in his closely observed scenes of the area’s fishermen, natural light, fowl, and fauna.”

Recognition from the James Monroe Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution

      Bill’s dedicated documentation of the region earned him posthumous recognition from the James Monroe Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, which credited him with doing more than any other single person to preserve Northern Neck history. 

A patron is grateful for Bill’s Legacy

     Among Bill’s legion of admirers is Charlotte Hundley of Heathsville. She and her late husband Jim purchased many Bill Martz paintings over the years, and she remains grateful for his legacy. “He was very interested in the history of the Northern Neck, the water, the fishermen, and the farmers,” Mrs. Hundley said. “And I think you see that understanding of this area in his art. Jim and I are Northern Neck natives and wanted to see it preserved. And I think Bill contributed greatly to that.”

      The collective body of Bill Martz’s work, his paintings, pen and inks, and pencil sketches, captured a period of history in Northumberland County and throughout the area that has or is quickly disappearing. He dedicated 37 years to recording the area so those who come after us will know of it. For more information about his career and works, visit BillMartz.com. There is a wealth of information there, including pictures

For  more about Bill:

Tribute to Bill Martz

Why Not Go for Being All You Can Be/A Story to Encourage/7 Tips to Help Get You There

 

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