Donna L. Martin Fine Art

"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/

"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

Stages of the Heart This is an original mixed media piece I created after going through stages of grief, feelings of loss, and healing after the death of a dear friend. It is titled "Stages of the Heart".  The first Heart is "Hopeful", in thinking about the beginning of a relationship and wondering what the future might hold. It is a red heart made of Tyvek paper and burlap, painted in shades of red. The second heart is "Broken", and represents what I was feeling about death and loss. It is a purple heart made of broken windshield glass. It expresses a myriad of emotions.  The third Heart is "Healing", signifying the healing that can happen after loss. It is made of some of the broken windshield glass and gauze bandages. The piece was finished with a resin, which gave it alot of depth and made the colors "pop".  This is a very personal piece to me and helped me to express all the various emotions that I was feel...

Forgotten Girl Dear Forgotten Girl, I see you.  I've always seen you.   I saw the many times you were overlooked and felt forgotten.  I was there when you were always the last picked for the team.  I saw the hurt in your eyes when friends would pass you by to hang out with the other "cool kids".  You never fit it, because of your last name, because the color of your skin wasn't the same as the others in your class, because you were the quiet one.  You were restless and longing for more...even at a young age. You tried your hardest to make friends, but so often, it didn't happen.  You were different, not like the others. I witnessed your best friend's dad abusing you at the age of 7.  I felt your confusion and your pain, not quite sure of what just happened.  You were too scared to tell your parents.  How would you even tell them something you didn't understand yourself?  Would they believe you anyway...you ...

Infinity In the midst of winter, I start dreaming about spring.  It's the time for renewal, new starts, new colors, new choices.  I always look forward to the flowers blooming and the warm sunshine blowing around in the spring winds.   Another thing I look forward to is the return of the hummingbirds.  My Grandma, from the time I can remember, always had a hummingbird feeder up at her place in the mountains.  I remember as a child being mesmerized by them and by my Grandmother's care for them.  They were like little tiny dancers. My Grandma is gone now and I miss her so much.  We had a special bond and she was the one I could turn to with any of my secrets without fear of judgement or rejection.  She worried about me, cried with me, celebrated with me, and loved me unconditionally.  I wish we would have had more time together. Whenever the hummingbirds come back around, I think of her.  These teeny, little birds have so muc...

"Magic in the Mess" It's hard to believe that January is already over and another month has begun.   What a month January was.  My son got married in December and they announced that they are having a baby boy, due to make his appearance the first part of June.  He will be our first Grandson and we are so excited.  At the same time, my Father-in-Law became extremely ill and recently passed away.  It's so hard to believe he is gone.  My husband still feels like he needs to pick up the phone every week and check on him.  My daughter struggles...every day.  She is a single mom raising my granddaughter on her own.  I worry about my aging parents and I wish we lived closer so we could help more.  I constantly wonder what will happen next and how will we get through it.  I thought things would be easier at this stage of life.   I guess my point is, there always seems to be some mess, some drama going on in life. ...

"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...

Tree of Life This is a new mixed media piece that I've done, using several different techniques that I've learned throughout the last couple of years.  It was done with many layers of paint, papers, modeling paste, and acrylic inks. This one symbolizes connection.  All of our lives are entwined and connected, no matter what are differences may be.   This painting measures 24 X 24 on a thick, gallery wrapped canvas.  The texture is kissed with iridescent copper paint that gives it the feeling of being antique. it will be available in an upcoming Facebook Auction that I will be participating in. If you'd like a chance to bid on it, here is the link to join the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1003365009793243/ You can also contact me at: saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com I'd love to hear from you! www.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/

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...

Joy in the Journey This is one of my newest mixed media pieces, fresh off the easel.   I've discovered that I just love painting these wild and crazy flowers.  These flowers start out as "blobs" of ink and I really have to use my imagination to make them come to life! This piece has many, many layers.  It has layers of paper and paint.  It also has some stenciling and layers of ink.  To finish it off, I added the words, "Discover the Joy in the Journey".  This painting truly was all about discovering the joy in the journey!   This painting is another one that will be up for auction toward the end of May. If you are interested in participating in this event, or if you have any comments, please feel free to send me an email...I would love to hear from you! saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com www.donnamartinfineart.com www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/

" Hope on the Horizon" This is a little encaustic piece of work, fresh of the easel.  I started out with paint, paper, and plaster.  I added more layers of wax and more paper.  I managed to achieve an accident, which it turns out is one of my favorite parts of this painting.  Below, you can see how the paper lifted up from the wax.  How cool is that?!? These are an angled view of the paper that I added.   This is a view from the front - so you can see how the paper lifted. I am loving the process of working with wax.  The layers can be as simple or complex as you would like.  It's totally like an adventure and there are many surprises, twists, and turns. Kind of like the journey we ourselves are on every single day.  The tree symbolizes hope and new beginnings and the leaves, made out of plaster, symbolizes new growth.  We also have hope, new beginnings, and the chance for growth.  We just have to keep pushing...

"Chicks Rule" This is a little encaustic piece that I just finished.  It has lots of layers and subtle colors.  The "nest" just appeared...I really didn't plan that at all, but I love those kinds of surprises.  Of course when the nest appeared, I had to add a bird.  I also added part of an old deed dating back to the early 1900's.  You can see part of it by her left arm and shoulder. Here you can get a little bit of a closer view.  The flowers were made of plaster.  I also used some stamps to embellish the piece.  Some of the stamping is more visible and some not so much. I am in love with the process of using wax (encaustic).  You can put so many rich layers and symbolism in a piece.  And above all, it's kind of a mystery as to what you will end up with! This little piece is reserved for an online auction that will be happening in May.  I welcome your comments and would love to hear from you! donnamarti...

Stages of the Heart This is an original mixed media piece I created after going through alot of grieving, feelings of loss, and healing after the death of a dear friend. It is titled "Stages of the Heart". The first Heart is "Hopeful", in thinking about the beginning of a relationship and wondering what the future might hold. It is a red heart made of Tyvek and burlap, painted red. The second heart is "Broken", and represents what I was feeling about death and loss. It is a purple heart made of broken windshield glass. It expresses alot of emotion. The third Heart is "Healing", signifying the healing that can happen after loss. It is made of some of the broken windshield glass and bandages. This is a very personal piece to me and helped me to express all the various emotions that I was feeling. The original piece is sold.  Commissions are welcome.  For questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at: saltlightwat...

"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...

"Sweet Dreams" Mom and her baby are sleeping among the trees.  This was done when I was thinking about Mother's Day.  Thinking about my sweet children and how fast time went by.  I regret now that I always felt so busy raising the kids that I didn't savor every single moment.  People always told me to enjoy the time because it goes so fast.  Some days, when I was in the thick of things and the chaos of raising three children, I thought they were crazy.  But time did pass quickly.  My children grew up and moved away.  It was so hard to get used to an awkward, empty house.  Now I am enjoying my grandchildren - enjoying the moments and making memories.  It's ok if we paint pictures, play dress up, and the house is a mess...we are creating memories while we still have time.  This painting has many layers and was done with paint and acrylic inks.  It was an intuitive painting inspired by the painting styles of ...

"It's a Beautiful Day" This tree and little bird emerged as I was attempting to do some "intuitive" painting.  I took a class a few months ago from the fabulous artist, Tracy Verdugo, to learn how to do this style and technique of painting.  Boy, has is been challenging for me!  I truly, truly love it though ~ you never know where you are going when you start out or where you will finish.  Below are some pictures of the evolution of this piece. To start out, I divided the canvas up into squares and chose some colors I wanted to use.  Some squares were dark, some lighter.  The images and marks I made are symbolic to me.  I had just returned from a trip to the ocean and had never seen water that beautiful.  It totally inspired me! In this step, I added acrylic inks over the entire piece.  Cool colors on one side, warmer colors on the opposite side.  You can see how some of the marks still show through. ...