Donna L. Martin Fine Art

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...

"Cherish This Life" We recently lost someone very special to us.  My Father-in-Law, Mikey, was Italian, to the core.  He grew up in North Denver, in what was known as little Italy.  He worked at an Italian Bakery for much of his life and he fought in WWII, in Normandy.  He knew the Italian Mob Bosses in Denver, worked hard to raise his family, and he loved to gamble in Vegas.  He was pretty good at it too. He also loved to go dancing.  He went dancing almost every Saturday night up until about 4 months ago.   There was just no question where you stood with Mikey.  My husband has commented so many times about what a great role model he was.  I believe it because my husband is a great man.  Mikey took me into the family just like a daughter and I loved him.  We have so many great memories of him and walking through life with him.  I am grateful.   Mikey would always tell us, "Everybody's got to go some...

"You Are Not Alone" This is my latest mixed media/assemblage.  The story unfolded as I was painting and constructing it.  I was thinking about how we are all faced with challenges in our lives, sometimes they seem insurmountable.  If I'm being real, authentic, and honest, I know lately sometimes I feel like I struggle to find the light in my soul and I can't seem to climb out of the darkness.  Painting helps me rise above this darkness and seek out the light. These wings came into existence and this verse kept coming to mind to remind me that when I feel dark and alone, I'm really not.      For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.   Psalm 91:11 (KJV)  This color palette is not one that I normally use, but it fits the piece beautifully.  It is rich with texture and many subtle layers.  The middle piece is part of an antique corbel that I found.  I also found an antique bronze "l...

"Trust Your Heart" So, it's a New Year, and of course, time for resolutions and "new beginnings".  I have to admit, I struggle this time of year.  I sort of get melancholy and I am not the most optimistic person during this "season".  Everything seems dull and gray and sort of lifeless.  Honestly, I wish I were a bear and could go into hibernation mode until the spring.   At the beginning of a new year, it seems everyone always has the best intentions and I do too.  But, about mid-January, I have given up on any sort of "resolution" I may have made verbally or in my head.  I convince myself that it was the New Year's Eve champagne talking - not really me.  I didn't mean it...I never would have made that my resolution.  So as you can see,  I really, really stink at resolutions and it is a big problem for me.  Keeping this in mind, I decided not to make them anymore.  Instead, last year, I decided to co...