Donna L. Martin Fine Art

Fearless Soul It was a cold and snowy day...actually a blizzard!  They called a "snow day" at my "day job", so what's a girl to do?  Jump up and down, sing and dance because there is time to paint!  And what a perfect day! So in all that joy, this little warrior showed up.  This little encaustic was done with lots of layers.  It has tissue paper, paint, part of an old deed from the early 1900's, plaster, ink, and of course wax.  I got to use my Stencil Girl Stencil for her face.  She looks very determined, very fearless, thus the title, "Fearless Soul". This little, bold painting is sold, but commissions are welcome!  Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com www.donnamartinfineart.com www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/  

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”.    ...

"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. ...

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

"Beautiful Whisper" This piece is an original mixed media creation...my version of aspen trees.  It was created on a beautifully recycled wooden palette.  I used acrylic paints, inks, texture paste, and painted paper.  Each individual leaf was painted, torn from paper, and carefully adhered to the tree. This piece was created with heart and soul.  I am so blessed to be able to live in Colorado and I love the fact that I was born and raised here.  I adore the mountains, the trees, the rugged terrain of this state.  Colorado is truly an inspiration to me. This piece is sold, but commissions are welcome.  I'd also love to hear from you! You can email me at :   saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com donnamartinfineart.com https://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...

"Dreaming of a Blue Moon" This little piece started as a demo piece for a mixed media class I was teaching/leading (I think the students teach me as much as I do them).  I started out using acrylic paint in blues and golds.  I added stencils and texture paste to create the flowers in the background.  I still wasn't sure what my subject was going to be, but that is becoming the norm for me! Pretty soon, I noticed some of the patterning on the piece and thought it looked like feathering and wings.  I decided to take a chance and see if an owl would come to life in this piece.  (This was the patterning I brought forward in her chest and wings) I decided to make her look very fluffy and sleepy.  I accented her shape with a sharpie paint pen and made the branch out of painted vintage sheet music.  The leaves were made with painted rice paper.   She is peacefully sleeping, dreaming of the blue moon! This piece meas...