Donna L. Martin Fine Art

Singing a New Song One day it happened.  The seemingly never-ending fog began to clear.  The tiniest rays of crystal clear sunlight began to peak through the clouds.  Slow and uncertain, she decided to be brave and she began to allow the cracks in her heart to allow the light in, a little at a time.  It had been a long, cold season.  As she closed her eyes and breathed it in, she could feel her heart beginning to sing a new song. This piece has a vintage hankie as the background.  Vintage French ledger paper was added, as well as a photo transfer that I embellished with paint and inks.  I added leaves to the branches and finished it with a layer of encaustic wax, which gives the entire piece a “vintage” feel. This piece is sold, but commissions are welcome.  I would love to hear from you!  Feel free to email me. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram ! www.donnamartinfineart.com

Go Your Own Way Everyone said, “Follow me”.  It was expected, and for a while, she did what she was told.  This was not the path she wanted to take.  She did not want to fly in conformity with all the others.  There were mysteries to be solved and adventures to be had.  And then it happened, like a dream that whispered her name in the middle of the night.  She noticed that not only were her own wings beautiful, but they were strong.  They were not like everyone else’s.  A still small voice inside of her nudged her to try out her own unique and beautiful wings.  That voice told her it was a good thing to go her own way.  So she did.  And she never looked back.   This piece began with fabric from a vintage napkin.  I loved this photo that I had taken of a tree in Oregon and decided to embed it in the piece.  I also added bits of paper and paint.  At the last minute, I decided I wanted to add the symbolism of the butterflies.  Of course, one of the butterflies jus

"Free to Dream" This is a piece I completed for an art show that I did a couple of years ago.  The wings were made with molding paste and sea glass.  I used an old antique wooded piece for the middle to tie the two wings together.  I 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. 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 has a new home up in the mountains now, but I'm open to commissions. 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://don

For Every Thing There is a Season For this piece, I began thinking about the different “seasons” in our lives.     I was thinking about the teenage girl who feels broken and out of place.   I thought about the young mother who feels overwhelmed and questions everything she is doing every day in raising her young children.   I thought about the middle-aged woman, with an empty nest and an empty heart, questioning her next move in life.   Our lives are constantly changing and evolving…moving through seasons.   None of these seasons last forever, even though it may feel like an eternity.   I believe we have to lean forward, ease into the transitions, no matter how painful.   This is how we can come out on the other side.   This piece changed and evolved, much like the seasons in our lives.   I added the words from Ecclesiastes 3, “For every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven”.    This piece was created with many layers of papers, inks, and pai

Strength of Trees “A tree with strong roots laughs at storms”.   – Malay Proverb The strength of trees.   Roots running deep into the dark soil.   Branches reaching upward into the light.   Ever changing, ever growing.   Leaves budding out into the warmth of spring.   Green and vibrant, fluttering in the soft summer breezes.   Bursting into vibrant hues of oranges and yellows, even as they are beginning their descent from the branches they’ve called home.   We can learn a lot from the strength of trees.   Our roots produce the branches, stretching out into the sun, craving the warmth and the light.    Those branches could almost represent the different paths of our life journey.   They hold all the beautiful leaves, the experiences and memories of our lives.   The leaves almost seems to remind us that our lives can withstand the winds of change, and although different, each is beautiful in its own season. This piece was created on a RedeemWood recycled wooden palle

Sisters They weren’t born sisters, but growing up in the same crazy family, there was always an unspoken bond between them.  Each knew the family “stories”, the good and the not so good.  No words were ever needed, they just instinctively knew each other’s hearts.  One look in her eyes, and one knew the other was broken.  Each was there for the other, unconditionally, without judgement, without harsh words, without cutting glances, or condemnation.  They were each other’s comfort in the storms….a soft place to land and a strong shoulder to rest a head upon.  Comfort, like a soft, gentle rain on a summer’s day.  Comfort like the warm glow coming from a window on a chilly night.  They were each other’s “home”.  They could tell each other their wildest dreams for the future and the other would believe without question that these wild dreams would come true.  The wild sisters would giggle about silly things that no one else would understand.  It was that unspoken language they s

Strength and Vulnerability Trees are the perfect depiction of strength and vulnerability.  Of course they are strong and usually their roots run deep.  They are also prey to the wind, sun, drought, and disease.  Their branches can get broken, their leaves fall, but they still remain, standing strong.  Through the storms, their roots plant deeper.  They grow new branches and new leaves begin to form.  They grow stronger when they are at their weakest.  I think the same is true for us when walking through our lives.  “One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” ― Sigmund Freud    This piece was created from many, many layers of paper, paint, inks, and modeling paste.  It was finished with touches of iridescent paint on the raised texture that resides around the painting. This painting is sold, but commissions are welcome.  Please send me an email with any questions or comments...as always, I would love to hear from you! salt