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.

Pigments: Historical and Modern

There is a distinct difference between modern day pigments and the natural pigments used prior to the middle of the 1700s. In the past, artists had apprentices who ground the colors for them throughout the oil painting sessions. Because they were made by hand, the pigments retained a natural grittiness and consistency with larger particle size. Today's oil paint manufacturers make synthetic colors in huge vats where the end result is exceptional smoothness. Prior to the middle of the 1700, natural pigments came from dirt, minerals, and even plants.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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THE PHARAOH’S BLING CAPTIVATES FOR NEW PROJECT Well, it has happened again. I have been captivated by bling. This time however, it is not Rembrandt’s bling, or the Dutch Masters’ bling. It’s the bling of the Pharaoh. For the past many months, I have been dreaming, imagining, planning, and laboring side-by-side with the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. … [Read more...] about FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

All That Glitters is Gold Leaf

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A couple of weeks ago a regular reader commented she would like to have more information about the various supports on which oil painting can be done. Pictured here are supplies needed for painting on gold leaf which is a splendid ground to work on. Most common is gessoed wood panels for leafing, but I experimented with canvas with great success. A … [Read more...] about All That Glitters is Gold Leaf

Dragons and Elephants

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Without going too deeply into the scientific technicalities of cinnabar/vermilion properties, the differences between the two pigments are: cinnabar is created by the combination of mercury and sulfur through a natural process and found in mines in many locations, and vermilion is made by combining mercury and sulfur in very hot temperatures … [Read more...] about Dragons and Elephants

Monks Seeing Red

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  Very early manuscripts document both the manufacture and use of vermilion. Some called this indispensable color the prince of reds which was more brilliant than the natural cinnabar. Theophilus (Roger of Helmarshausen)the Benedictine Monk, described the alchemical synthesis in his technical handbook De diversis artibus (On Divers Arts … [Read more...] about Monks Seeing Red