Throughout the years, since my interest in painting has turned to passion, a quest for new inspiration has been a goal. Travels to new places and incorporating music themes into my painting have been two such avenues.

Lessons of the Pharaoh's Tomb is my latest body of work in my Lessons Series. It was inspired by a trip to Egypt in January 2009. The new paintings will feature imagery and pigments used since 3500 BC. During the coming months similarities between historical pigments used in tombs and temples from antiquity to that of the much later Golden Age of Dutch Art will be discussed. You can follow the journey by visiting my blog at www.margretshort.typepad.com. If you will subscribe to my mailing list I will keep you informed when the latest information is posted!

The "Lessons from the Low Countries" project came about due to my interest in Rembrandt and other Dutch masters; and my desire to study the historic pigments they used and introduce them into my work. Each work was inspired by the color palette of a select painting in the exhibit "Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art," which traveled the United States in 2006-07.

To make the pigments, I hand-ground them in linseed oil. Each step of the project is documented in my blog (www.margretshort.typepad.com). Luscious colors with magical names like lapis lazuli, cinnabar, and azurite were used as the focus of each bountiful still life. There is no comparison to the handling qualities of the modern pigments. Everything about the handmade historic pigments is different from the modern: particle size, thickness, consistency, color, saturation, and on and on. The eleven paintings were shown at an exhibit in Portland, Oregon June, 2007, alongside reproductions of the Dutch inspiration paintings from "Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art."

Very recently a friend from New York, Robert Doak, has enlightened me with another challenge. That is the technique of painting on copper. This idea is centuries old and many of the masters like Rembrandt and Chardin painted glowing images on mostly small formats. Contrarily, many quite large altar pieces were installed in churches all over Europe. Because it is so harmonious with my love of all that is old world, I have taken on a new challenge, and it is profoundly rewarding. The smooth nonabsorbent surface of the copper is perfect ground for the glowing look of chiaroscuro painting that I love. This is an on-going project.

The "Scherzo" series emerged through months of idea development and collecting of objects. I enjoy using objects and themes that have a subtle double meaning. After starting piano instruction in my adult years, music has become a passion. Because of this, art and music have merged into an harmonious union. Music and musical instruments are often incorporated into my compositions along with flowers and other related items. The similarities between art and music are astounding. There are another eight paintings in this series to be completed.