Last Bill Martz show is November 12 in Heathsville, Virginia

More than 24 paintings by Bill Martz will be on exhibit and for sale November 12 in what will be the final show of the late artist’s work. The event will be from 3:00 pm until 7:00 pm at the Northumberland County Library in Heathsville.

Martz, who died in October 2015, produced hundreds of paintings throughout his career, capturing the unique beauty and culture of the Northern Neck. Those paintings hang in individual homes throughout the region and beyond.

The November 12 show will be the last opportunity to see a collection of Martz paintings in one location. While these shows have been by invitation only in the past, Martz’s widow, Theresa, has decided to “make the show a community event open to all those interested in Bill’s work.” She requests an RSVP by Nov. 2 at 529-7486.

“Bill loved the Northern Neck,” Martz said. “I’m sure he would have wanted everyone interested in his work to be able to attend his last show.”

In May, the James Monroe Sons of the American Revolution chapter posthumously honored Bill with an award for his work preserving the heritage of Virginia’s Chesapeake region. The speaker, Walker Gaulding, noted that Martz always “traversed the woods, marshes, and home sites of the Northern Neck,” seeking to gain the “feel” of the places he would later paint.

Fellow artist Doc Dugan, owner of the Left Bank Gallery in Hague, Va., says it was this closeness with his subject matter that set Martz apart.

“His work is magnificent, and reveals the degree of artistic talent equaling and exceeding artists I have met personally and those I’m familiar with professionally,” Dugan said.

Whit Smith Jr., of Kilmarnock, Va., who owns several Martz paintings, describes Martz as both a historian and a naturalist. He says the artist documented many of the Northern Neck’s historic homes and buildings, as well as captured the many ways people earned a living on the water.

“He brought to life the simple, honest day to day existence of people and wildlife in their natural environments in ways in which you and I can relate to and quite often feel like we’re part of in Bill’s pictures,” Smith said.

Martz painted at least a hundred paintings of songbirds over the years. Only one remains and will be included in the show. In the few months prior to his death, he saw that he had not finished the bluebird and planned to complete it as soon as he could paint again. But of course, he never did.

Other oil paintings at the show will include scenes of millponds, berry pickers, numerous work boat scenes, crabbing, culling oysters, watermen sorting their catch, wild turkeys, swans, pastoral scenes, skiffs, and herons. An original graphite pencil drawing of Sunnybank and two remaining watercolors of botanicals (roses) will also be shown.

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