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/

Moon Kissed This is one of my latest in my series of "moonlight trees".  It has lots of dimension and layers, adding to the interest and mystery of this piece. This piece is available.  Feel free to contact me via email at:  www.saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com . You can also follow me on my website , instagram , and FB .  Feel free to reach out...I'd love to hear from you!

Uncaged This is an original mixed media piece. It was created using inks, paint, paper, molding paste, and gold mica flakes. It was finished with a beautiful resin coating, which makes the colors "pop" and eliminates the need for framing. This piece is sold, but commissions are welcome.  Please feel free to contact me at: saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/ http://donnamartinfineart.com/ www.instagram.com/donnamartinfineart/

"Becoming" This little, chubby bird was created with painted papers, inks, stencils, and acrylic paint.  It has multiple layers.  On the first layer, I wrote words or "values", such as compassion, grace, and kindness.  These values represent more of who I want to become, thus the name of the piece.  I also hinted at some flowers just beginning to peak out from below the branches, blooming, if you will, but not yet full and complete.  This also symbolizes blossoming and transformation into something beautiful. This piece found a new home, but commissions are welcome.  Feel free to contact me at saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com . www.donnamartinfineart.com https://www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/ www.instagram.com/donnamartinfineart/

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 ad...

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 ...

"Seasons" I thought these words were beautiful and a perfect inspiration for this piece.  “I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass This was an intuitive piece.  The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted three trees.  It was created with layers of paper, paint, and inks. This piece is sold, but commissions are welcome.  Drop me an email with questions or comments...I would love to hear from you! saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com www.donnamartinfineart.com Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/ https://www.instagram.com/donnamartinfineart/

"Undone" This is a little abstract, mixed media piece titled, "Undone".  It was created on watercolor paper and then mounted to an  8 X 8 cradle board.  It features text from vintage books, rusted cloth, and thin wire attached with small stitching.  I also used coffee grounds to create a rich color and texture in the background and used various elements, such as sticks and twigs, to make marks.   This piece is available.  Currently, it is being shown up at the Manitou Springs Art Center .  I would love to have you stop by and take a look!  Please message me with comments or if you would like further information.  saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com https://donnamartinfineart.com/ https://www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/ https://www.instagram.com/donnamartinfineart/

"Sweet Dreams" This painting is one of my favorites.  Mom and her baby are sleeping among the trees.  It has many layers and was done with paint and acrylic inks.  It was an intuitive painting inspired by the painting styles of Tracy Verdugo and Juliette Crane.   It is on a deep gallery wrapped canvas and measures 24 X 24.  This painting is sold, but please feel free to send me an email with any questions, or comments. I really love hearing from you! saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com donnamartinfineart.com

"Discover the Miracle of Forgiveness This was a very emotional process, working on this painting.   It will be donated to an online auction, with all the proceeds going to a very worthy cause.   My every heartbeat was thinking about the results of the auction and how the project will mean so much to so many people.   I began thinking about my own story and thinking about the concept of forgiveness.   I came to the conclusion, for myself, that forgiveness is an ongoing process.   It doesn’t mean that I forget the wrong that was done to me or that the people that hurt me get a “free pass”.   It means that I choose to let go of it, for me.   It is a weight lifted.   Once I begin the process of forgiveness and try to work through it, I am transformed.   It gives me wings to “rise above” it, if you will.   I am still sad and even sometimes angry over what happened to me, but I choose forgiveness and it truly sets me free. ...

"Becoming" This little, chubby bird was created with painted papers, inks, stencils, and acrylic paint.  It has multiple layers.  On the first layer, I wrote words or "values", such as compassion, grace, and kindness.  These values represent more of who I want to become, thus the name of the piece.  I also hinted at some flowers just beginning to peak out from below the branches, blooming, if you will, but not yet full and complete.  This also symbolizes blossoming and transformation into something beautiful. This piece found a new home, but prints are available at: http://fineartamerica.com/featured/becoming-donna-martin.html?newartwork=true www.donnamartinfineart.com https://www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/

"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...

Blossom This is one of my first Mixed Media pieces titled "Blossom". This piece means alot to me - a whirlwind of emotions were poured in and and came out of this one! I didn't want her to be "realistic", but more "whimsical".  I had a great time creating her.  I used alot of different items to create texture and depth in this piece. Her hair is made out of twine. I glued each individual piece on and painted each strand. Her wings are made out of broken glass. At first, she had dark brown eyes, but they just didn't give the viewer the effect I wanted, so I glazed green iridescent paint over the brown. Her eyes change colors between green and brown, depending on the viewers angle. I used molding paste and painted various papers to add into the composition. Broken glass added to make "wings". I decided I needed to add some text to complete my thoughts about this one.  I found some vintage sheet music and tor...

     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 ...

"Breakthrough"   Well, once again it's a New Year and rather than settling on resolutions, I'm trying to pick a word.  This is my first painting of the New Year and the "word", at least for this piece, was "Breakthrough".   I feel like I'm stumbling this year.  Trying to get creative again after literally months of working on some commission pieces.  I just decided to begin throwing some paint on to this canvas to see what happened.  I wanted to paint a face on this one, originally.  I wanted it to have some kind of deep meaning and value.  This is not what happened.  I just used some intuition and trusted in the process.  This is what happened.  It seemed a dragonfly in the midst of flight was truly a breakthrough of sorts.  I got to be creative without thinking so much about it - without any expectations.  I still feel a little weak in the knees, but I'm ready to get creative again....