Tonia Martin

Bio

My name is Tonia Colleen. I am a writer and a narrative painter. Several years ago, I suffered a monumental upheaval in my life. Before that, I had exclusively been a freelance writer. God used art to heal me and augment my writing voice. Learning to paint happened during a study abroad in Paris with Sierra College. The gift of art came as a complete surprise. I couldn't believe the pictures that bubbled up from my soul.

Most of my paintings begin with a figure. After rendering the central figure, I fill in the story with images of setting and plot.

Now I work with others who God has called to look at their stories and find the intersecting themes in them. Lots of people are afraid of freedom. Writing stories helps them discover the origination of fears that have kept them trapped in orphan thinking. Prayer accompanies all my work. Though I have perspective for others, I am constantly preaching the gospel to myself to overcome the debilitating lies I’ve fought and continue to fight. I love this quote by Douglas Steere: “To listen another’s soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performed for another.”