Donna L. Martin Fine Art

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...

"Truly, Madly, Deeply...Love" For some reason, I get on these kicks to create "Heart" work!  Maybe it's because I have a son who was born on Valentine's Day. I also seem to find "heart" shaped objects everywhere I go, and I get inspired.   Last year, I found this frame with the tin attached, at a summer market. It appears to be an old ceiling tile that they stapled to the inside of the frame.  It was the ideal inspiration, as I love combining old "things" and new artwork.  I knew this would be perfect for what I was thinking about creating with the hearts.  I created a piece of art (heart) for each individual tile.  They are respectively titled "truly", "madly", "deeply", and "love".  The pieces were constructed on 1.5" deep cradle board and attached to the tile.  They are coated with a glossy resin, which makes the colors "pop".  On the bott...

"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...

"Beauty from the Brokenness" This little painting is the newest one to be completed.  It is an original mixed media piece done with acrylics, inks, painted papers, and broken windshield glass.   I know so many people who are having such difficulty and loss in their lives right now. This was my attempt at expressing how beauty can come after our brokenness and loss. The size on this piee is 12 X 12.  It will be finished with resin and will be available during an online Handmade Holiday Auction I am participating in. Check it out to see the amazing artwork that will be available! www.donnamartinfineart.com https://www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/

"Explore" This painting was inspired after a trip up to our family cabin.  We went with my daughter and little granddaughter.  During our time together, my granddaughter and I explored the woods, went up into the tree house, looked for fish in the creek, and took a whirl on the swings while we howled like wolves!  It was fun exploring life through her eyes and discovering new things.   Being up at the cabin was also a sober reminder of how short life is.  I was remembering everyone who loved the cabin so much and now they are no longer with us.  Still, you could feel their presence...in the soft, warm breeze that came in through the front door.  The beautiful, bright sunshine that cast shadows through the golden aspen leaves.  We will never forget the impact they had on our lives and the memories they left behind. And so, I wanted to make new memories with my sweet Adaleigh.  I want her to always remember this specia...

"Colorado Autumn Aspen" This was a commissioned mixed media piece that I recently completed.  My client lives in Arizona but grew up in Monte Vista, CO.  On the bottom portion of the piece, I added pieces of a 1964 Colorado Road Map.  I placed the town of Monte Vista in the upper center  portion  of the map .  This made it unique and very special to my client.  The trees were constructed of paper, paint, ink, and modeling paste. The leaves were done with hand-painted paper - each one torn individually from the paper.  I loved working on this piece and the client told me she will always treasure this piece.  There is nothing more rewarding! For questions, comments, or to commission your original piece of artwork, please contact me at: saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com Follow me on Facebook at:   facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/ www.donnamartinfineart.com

"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...