Donna L. Martin Fine Art

  Forever Changed Sometimes people come into our lives unexpectedly.  They end up doing life with us, the good and the bad.  They see us through the most trying times and the offer us unwavering friendship and love.  They are “our person”.  Sometimes, they are gone way too soon.  But because of them, we are forever changed.  This piece has layers of papers, paints, inks, and is heavily textured. This piece is sold, but commissions are welcomed.  Feel free to contact me via email at  saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com .  You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram .   https://dmartinfineart.com/

Beautifully Broken In our journeys, there are usually broken pieces.  People we’ve loved and lost, friends who have been in our lives for a season, families torn apart.  These are our stories.  These are the layers of our lives.  These broken pieces make us who we are, who we become.  What we do with those broken pieces is up to us.  We have the choice to create new stories, to try again.  Our wings may be tattered and worn, but they are ours and they can still fly.  We are all beautifully broken.  The doorknob in this piece represents old doors closing and new ones opening.  The background was created using pieces of a vintage world atlas, representing the layers of our lives and our journeys.  The wings were bathed in resin to finish this piece, so there is no need for framing. This piece will be available in an online Facebook Event beginning Sunday and running through Monday.  These events are fun a...

"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...

Wings with Heart Today, I've been thinking about the work I do and why I do it.  A story from my high school years came to mind and I just had to write it down. When I was a freshman in high school, we moved from Colorado to a tiny little town in Texas. I came from Columbine High School in Littleton, CO to a high school that had maybe 21 people in my class.  Sports were and always have been a huge part of the culture in that little Texas town that I love.   I thought about trying out for Cheerleader, but those who know me know that I am extremely shy and I was even more so back then.  I knew in my heart of hearts that there was absolutely no way I could even attempt to try out for Cheerleader. Then, there was basketball.  I didn't know a thing about basketball, but I was determined that I could absolutely do this.  I signed up for the team and went to every practice.  I ran laps.  I worked very hard.  I became part of...

"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...

"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 iridescen...

     Fly Free I shared this last year, but thought it would be worth sharing again.  I have always been one of those people who is naturally shy.  It may have a little to do with the way we were raised, we were always told that children "are to be seen and not heard".  Growing up in that culture, I've always had trouble expressing what I'm feeling or saying what I wanted to say.  Why would I have anything worth saying?  I always felt that when I finally was able to say something, was anyone really listening?  To add to this, I grew up feeling like I really didn't fit in anywhere, that I was usually the odd one out.  I was the one who got picked last for the team, didn't stand up for myself...I didn't know how, didn't have " permission ".  I couldn't really find my place, or my voice.  I attended Columbine High School for one semester before we moved to a wonderful little small Texas ...

"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. Stenciled some turquois paint on to the gray background...'cause I just love turquois! Adding some paper.  Don't they just have the most gorgeous papers out there these days!   Adding more blue and some white 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.    Here is a close-up of one of the wings in progress.  I added som...