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"Free to Dream", Mixed Media Original Painting by Colorado Artist, Donna L. Martin

"Free to Dream"

Thought I'd give you a sneak peak into the process of creating this piece.  It was so much fun and so much heart and soul went into it.  I hope you enjoy!


This is the beginning of this painting...just an ol' gray background on a cradle board.


I stenciled some turquoise paint on to the gray background...'cause I just love turquoise!


I added layers of paper -  they just have the most gorgeous papers out there these days!


Adding more blue and a little white acrylic paint just to tone it down a bit.


I got this cool stencil from Etsy and just had to try it.  I used patching paste...the kind you use to patch holes in your wall.  (tip ~ clean it off of your stencils right away and clean it in a bucket of water you can dump outside ~ you don't want that stuff clogging up your pipes)


Both sides of the painting in progress.  I try to work on both sides at the same time in order to get a cohesive feel.


Here is a close-up of one of the wings in progress.  I added some more patching paste because I didn't want the wings to look so "perfect".  I also stared adding some sea glass and putting in some dark paint around the indentions in the wings.




I felt like I needed to "warm" it up a little, so I added just a touch of irridescent gold.  Also added some blue sea glass. 


Finally FINISHED!  I used an old antique wooded piece for the middle to tie the two wings together.  Found a rusty old piece of hardware and added the butterfly to the middle.  I also added the words "Free to Dream" on the lower portion of the wooden piece in the middle and an old antique chandelier teardrop to the bottom of the wooden piece.  I love combining the old, discarded things with the new.




This piece measures approximately 18" wide and about 13" at the highest point in the middle.  The wings are finished with an epoxy resin coating, which really makes the colors "pop".

This one found a new home at the art show in Breckenridge, but commissions are welcome!

I would love to hear your feedback, so please email me with any comments or if you are interested in a commissioned piece!

saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com

http://donnamartinfineart.com/


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