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.

Chiaroscuro and Other Oil Painting Techniques

Chiaroscuro is from the Italian language and the root meaning is chiaro, light, and scuro (obscure), dark. It is a perfect technique to use in oil painting to achieve drama of contrasts such as that used by the 17th Century Dutch. Another technique that helps attain this look is impasto oil painting, which is used freely in the main focus of the composition and then to a lesser degree in the shadow areas. It is very effective in all sizes and subject matter such as oil paintings of flowers, still life, and even landscape. Fumed Silica gel is a great medium to use for getting texture in oil painting. It is a combination of linseed oil and silica mixed together which forms a fluffy clear medium. When mixed with paint, the consistency retains its shape and stays put with no slumping.

Anatomy of an Oil Painting

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Some of the most frequently asked questions from both artists and collectors are, "What is your process, how do you decide what to paint, and how do you think through to the finish of an oil painting?" Sometimes this is difficult to describe but I find if I plan with great detail then paint the painting in my mind's eye, it is usually successful. … [Read more...] about Anatomy of an Oil Painting

Comparing Aboriginal Art to Oil Painting: They are closer than you think

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This past summer, Dave and I had the great pleasure of hosting a studio visit that resulted in some interesting connections and enlightenments. This particular group of collectors were visiting the Northwest from Australia. Having visited this area in the past, they fell in love with Oregon and just happened to find my oil paintings at Gallery 903 … [Read more...] about Comparing Aboriginal Art to Oil Painting: They are closer than you think

How to Get Detail into Your Oil Paintings Without Getting Too Picky

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Because I am a helpless and impossibly hopeless collector of antiques,  I fell in love with this style of ceramics and began to develop a collection to use it as subject matter in my oil paintings. It is quite fun and challenging to paint because of the raised beading called moriage (pronounced mor-ee-ah-gee, as in gee-whiz). It is applied to the … [Read more...] about How to Get Detail into Your Oil Paintings Without Getting Too Picky

Joker in the Tulip Bed

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As many of you know, tulips are a favorite flower of mine. During the months (2006-07) of painting and researching for my Lessons from the Low Countries pigment project, I often incorporated tulips into my oil painting compositions. The reasons for this are simple. It is one of the most breathtakingly splendid flowers in the world and delightfully … [Read more...] about Joker in the Tulip Bed