Donna L. Martin Fine Art

Beauty in the Brokenness “There is nothing beautiful about the wreckage of a human being.   There is nothing pretty about the damage, about pain, about heartache.   What is beautiful is their strength, their resilience, their fortitude as they display an ocean of courage when they pick through the wreckage of their life to build something beautiful, brand new, against every odd that is stacked against them.”   - Nikita Gill   We don’t always see it in ourselves, but beauty truly can come from the brokenness. This piece was created with layers of paper, paint, and acrylic inks.   I also added some modeling paste in certain areas on the painting, which gives it a bit of raised texture. This piece is 20 X 20 X 1.5, created on a thick, gallery wrapped canvas.  It is available.  Please email me with questions or comments at:  saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com .  You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram: htt...

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 ad...

"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”.    ...

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 ...

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 ...

Beauty in the Brokenness “There is nothing beautiful about the wreckage of a human being.   There is nothing pretty about the damage, about pain, about heartache.   What is beautiful is their strength, their resilience, their fortitude as they display an ocean of courage when they pick through the wreckage of their life to build something beautiful, brand new, against every odd that is stacked against them.”   - Nikita Gill   We don’t always see it in ourselves, but beauty truly can come from the brokenness. This piece was created with layers of paper, paint, and acrylic inks.   I also added some modeling paste in certain areas on the painting, which gives it a bit of raised texture. This piece is 20 X 20 X 1.5, created on a thick, gallery wrapped canvas.  It is available.  Please email me with questions or comments at:  saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com .  You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram: htt...

Hearts and Wings This year seems to be a year of reflection and new direction.  I've been thinking alot, reading alot, and DREAMING...alot.  With that being said, at the beginning of the year, I made a resolution to not make a resolution.  My brain is always going in a million directions anyway and that just seemed like one more thing on the "to do" list.  And, I hate to do lists.  Anyone who knows me could probably figure that one out.  At the same time, I wanted to make goals and work on one at least one of my "flaws", for lack of a better term.  I had the idea of making a piece of art with one particular word that I wanted to work on, kind of like a symbolic reminder.  Seemed better to me than making some stupid resolution.  I also thought that something tangible, coming from the heart, would hold more meaning for me.  Now the trouble was just coming up with one word...there are many, many things that I need...