“Beyond Words, Original Mixed Media/Assemblage Painting by Colorado Artist, Donna L. Martin

"Beyond Words"

The photo above shows the finished piece, titled "Beyond Words". The photos below show how it started out and the progression of this piece. I got a wild hair and decided I needed to move out of my comfort zone and use some different colors. To tell you the truth, I almost scrapped the whole painting. It was REALLY out of my comfort zone!

I painted with grays, burgundy, and threw in a little Van Dyke brown for good measure. I added tissue paper, collage papers, and modeling paste with a stencil.

I began to tone it down and soften it up by adding white. I like how the other colors and patterns still show through. There are alot of layers going on here! At this point, I still don't know what is happening with this piece and I'm still not real happy with it, but I'm forging on.

I used a wing stencil with some modeling paste over the top of these layers. I painted the wings iridescent pearl. I also collect vintage/antique pieces to use in my work, although the turquoise piece on this one is new. I really love combining old and new. The rusty/patina piece is an antique door plate. I also added a skeleton key.

I'm so glad I kept pushing forward and didn't give up on this piece. I love how it turned out. It's symbolic for me. It seems I can never find the words to express my emotion and how I feel. My art seems to speak for me. This is symbolic of all the layers and how feelings and emotions can get ugly and uncomfortable at times, especially when they are raw and unfamiliar. There are layers of change and then the courage to take risks...exploring something new and different. If you have the courage to push on through the pain, ugliness, and raw emotion, you may find the the beauty in the mess and find your wings!

This painting is sold, but commissions are welcome. Please feel free to contact me at

saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com

donnamartinfineart.com

https://www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/

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