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Margret E. Short Fine Arts

Margret E. Short Fine Arts

Portland, Oregon artist Margret Short - a modern day master of 17th Century Dutch art using the chiaroscuro technique to create still life and floral paintings.

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Can’t Stop Painting

June 8, 2007 by Margret Short

Beyond the select eleven paintings from the core of the Lessons from the Low Countries series, there are five additional works. One is the signature painting, The Golden Age. It was painted in October of 2006 in preparation for the presentation at the Dayton Institute of Art. In order to clearly present the chiaroscuro style, my approach was to do a painting in 3 stages of completion using the grisaille (shades of gray); first stage of rough in, second stage with some color added and the final stage of completion. Go to September 19th, 2006 entry on this post. The result if the finished piece titled, The Golden Age.

There are four additional small canvases not from a source/inspiration painting from the Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art. They are, however, painted using the historic pigments, and are posted here. All five additional paintings are presented in the Lawrence Gallery exhibit.

Chiaroscuro Painting

Oil painting with the chiaroscuro technique illuminates the focus area with a strong light. All other areas are painted with less detail, lower values, and intensity of color giving a mysterious appearance. By putting one or two objects in the important focus area, a strong but simple composition will emerge. Combining these oil painting techniques with a selection of superior natural pigments and oil paints result in the beautiful and evocative quality known as Chiaroscuro Painting.

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Recent Blogs

Dancing Backwards Part ll with the Iconic Artemisia Gentileschi

Dancing Backwards in High Heels Part ll, More Lessons with Fred and Ginger and Judith Leyster in Haarlem

Dancing Backwards with Elisabeth Vigee LeBrun: Painter to the Stars and Royalty

Dancing Backwards in High Heels Part Two in Portugal with Josefa de Obidos

Dancing Backwards in High Heels Part Two; Cliff Notes Version of Color Sleuthing

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