Donna L. Martin Fine Art

Moonlit Winter Aspens     This is a little mixed media piece I did depicting aspen trees on a snowy winter night.  This piece sat around for about 10 months before I finally decided what to do with the background!  It was done on MDF board with molding paste and crackle paste for texture.  It was completed with acrylic paint.  The original is sold, but commissions are welcome. For questions or comments, please feel free to email me at:  saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com www.donnamartinfineart.com

"Enjoy The Journey"     This is the newest piece, fresh off the easel.  I just lost my Aunt, who fought a courageous battle against cancer.  The painting that I had planned when I started this piece "disappeared" - so much for best laid plans.  This painting just poured out on to the board and practically painted itself.  My Aunt was a beautiful soul and I believe she "enjoyed every step of the journey".  She will be missed every day.     This painting is 10 X 10 X 1.5.  It is made with vibrant colors of paint, antique maps, and is heavily textured.  It is currently available.  Please feel free to email me with questions, comments, or if you are interested in purchasing.     saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com   See more of my work at:  donnamartinfineart.com   Follow me on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/donnamartinfineart

She Decided to be Brave I haven't written in a while...sometimes I feel like I need to have something profound to say.  So all of these thoughts came to me after having a lunch date with some friends.  One of the friends I had lunch with is one of my dearest friends ever - you know the kind - she knows all your secrets and she still likes you!  We've been friends for around 13 years now.  The other two friends have been acquaintances for a number of years, but we are just now getting to know each other and beginning to get comfortable.  At one point in the conversation, I could consciously feel myself beginning to get "guarded". There wasn't a specific reason for this, I'm not sure why this feeling came upon me.  I was trying to be careful so I didn't say the wrong thing, trying to think of something funny to say, or something really clever to interject into the conversation.  I was so physically and emotionally aware of it at that m...

"Song of Hope"   Hope is the thing with feathers  That perches in the soul,  And sings the tune without the words,  And never stops at all,     And sweetest in the gale is heard;          And sore must be the storm  That could abash the little bird  That kept so many warm.      –from "Hope is the Thing with Feathers " by Emily Dickinson   I love this little poem from Emily Dickinson.  It reminds me to listen to that still, small voice in my soul that tells me to never give up.  Sometimes we just have to be still and listen for it.   This is a little mixed media bird that I created with molding paste, painted paper, stencils, and tree bark.  The original is sold, but commissions are welcome.    Please feel free to email me with questions or comments: saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com   You can view ...

"Humble Beginnings"     This piece was created because of my Brother.  He's followed me along on this "journey" and has seen and commented on many of my pieces.  He told me that I should paint "BIG".  This painting is a result of that effort!  It seemed like it took me forever.  I stressed over it, then enjoyed it, then questioned everything about it.  This is the end result.    I thought about this painting as a "beginning" of sorts.  By that I thought about symbolizing a young couple starting their own family.  In another new beginning of sorts, It could  symbolize a new beginning as an "empty nester".  Both of those scenarios are big, huge, sometimes scary, unknown adventures.  Both are humbling, full of learning and experiencing a new season in life.  For a new family, it's full of anticipation and expectation.  For a family with children leaving home, it could be gr...

  "Fly"         "Flying" and being brave seems to be my "theme" for the year.  This whole new adventure, painting in mixed media, has been born out of a tragedy.  It has evolved out of trying to heal and explore what works for me in the healing process.    In this new journey, I have been trying to push myself and my art.  I've been finding my voice, for the first time, through my art and what it says.  I seem to be connecting to people through my art...and no words seem to be necessary.  All of the emotions in my heart and soul spill out on to the canvas.     This piece has several layers in it.  I used stencils at the very beginning and then began layering torn and painted pieces of paper over the stenciled areas.  I used a stencil and molding paste to add more texture.  I then added a photo transfer of the butterfly and painted over her body and wings.  In t...

"Learning, Changing, Growing"     This is an original encaustic piece that I completed recently.  I had a really strong desire to experiment with encaustics and believe me, this piece and two other small pieces took me the better part of a whole day!  I felt like a crazy person, trying to get beautiful, luminous colors and textures into the layers.  At one point, I melted all of the layers off and started all over again.  The text on this piece reads, "While it may alternately sting or soothe, everyday is different, and there is always something new to learn...".  I truly believe that.  I think all experiences, good or bad, are learning experiences and are put in our paths to get us to where we need to be.  I'm still not where I want to be with this medium, but I am working on it ~ and playing with it has been so much fun.  I hope when the weather cools down a bit more, that I can do a few more of t...

"She Danced"        This is my latest mixed media piece.  The words just seemed perfect for this one.  I was inspired by an artist that teaches "tu tu" painting classes and I really wanted to try and make my own "dress" and add my own unique, personal touches and words.    Anyone who knows me, knows I struggle with words.  When I paint, I feel like I communicate what I can't say.  I get lost in another world and time slips away.    This is how I imagine it is for other artists as well.  I can imagine when dancing, time slips away and the dancer is transported into another world.  This canvas was huge, literally for me.  My brother has been encouraging me to do larger works.  So, because I love him so much and he always knows what's good for me, I took the leap.  This is my second attempt at a 36 X 36 X 1.5 canvas.  My first attempt felt so daunting and I felt so lost.  With t...

Chihuly Exhibit - Seattle, WA  We were fortunate enough recently to go to Seattle Washington.  My husband had a conference and of course, I just "had" to tag along.  As an artist, this was a wonderful city, full of sensory sights, sounds, smells.  It was a such a contrast of cultures and environments.  We stayed downtown and we walked everywhere.  One minute we would see high-end stores such as Nordstom, Ben Bridge Jewelers, many others that I'm sure I can't even remember the names of.  Executives making their way through the busy streets and on with their day.  A couple of blocks away, we saw homeless people, disabled people, sitting on the streets with signs asking for money.  I wanted to just sit down and talk to each and every one of them.  I wanted to ask them what their story was and how they had gotten to that place.  I myself, think that personally, I am only one or two moves away from being in that very same plac...