Donna L. Martin Fine Art

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...

"Take These Broken Wings" Sometimes we feel lost, broken, and so alone.  We feel like we've lost the ability to "fly", to find the joy, the ability to be grateful and see the good in the world.  It's almost as though we look in the mirror and don't recognize the shadow looking back at us. Sometimes, we need people to help us recreate our broken wings, to transform them into something different, something beautiful.  We need the random kindness of a stranger, a smile from the person behind the counter, almost as much as we need the people that know us the best and love us anyway.  Let's face it, there is much brokenness in the world.  People are hurting, people are searching, people are crying alone in the darkness of the night.  My question to you is, can you be a light?  Can you give someone a smile or say hello, even thought we are all different?  Can you make a difference in someone's life and be a step to mending broken wings? ...

"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

  "Peace Within" I was recently fortunate enough to host a workshop with the most fabulous artist, Jenny Grant.   http://www.flowbyjenny.com/en I first found Jenny on Facebook a couple of years ago. Jenny is from Stockholm, Sweden.  On a whim, last year I asked her if she would come to the US and hold a workshop.  To my surprise, she said yes and was gracious enough to come to Colorado and hold a workshop on her mixed media techniques.  This painting was a result of her workshop.  Here below are some photos of how my painting progressed through the many layers.  The first pictures depict how papers, inks, and paints were layered on to this piece. Then I added more modeling paste for texture and then more color!   After drying, we took a reference photo and proceeded to add a face.  I wanted the face to meld in with the background. To finish off, I added some darker inks and more stamping....

Surrender to the Moment She finds herself lost in rare, quiet, solitude. Her mind wanders, illuminated with her dreams. Almost like a field full of wildflowers, touched by the sun, swaying in the warm breeze. Grace and peace are her momentary companions. She is grateful and surrenders to this one, small, moment in time. This piece was created with many layers of papers, inks, paint, and modeling paste. The layers create rich depth and texture. It is done on a wooden cradleboard canvas and measures 14 X 18 X 1.5". This piece is available. I would love to hear from you - feel free to email me at: saltlightwatercolors@yahoo.com donnamartinfineart.com https://www.facebook.com/donnamartinfineart/