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.

Garlicky Experiments/Trials and Errors

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At this point, there are a couple of ways to proceed. If your intent is to use the smooth surface much like a prepared panel, then you can gesso it. Or if you want the natural beauty of the copper to glow through then you don't want an opaque priming. In much of the literature, old school techniques describe a fascinating etching method using … [Read more...] about Garlicky Experiments/Trials and Errors

Pieces of Paint

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As I have mentioned, the resulting beauty of the copper shimmering through the paint and brushstrokes is my goal here. Initially, I was wont to cover much of the surface but after many experiments, I began to achieve more of the look I could see in my mind's eye. Because the format is a small modello, 6x6 inches, it is easier to 'play' with the … [Read more...] about Pieces of Paint

Copper on the Easel

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Several years ago, I did a series of paintings on sheets of copper of various sizes, which was enormously fun. Here are two from that series.     Well, now here it is 2013, and it's time for another challenge with a new pigment series. This new project poking at my mad scientist self is more expansive though, and will be … [Read more...] about Copper on the Easel

Gifts for the Spider Woman

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Visions of the Southwest Gifts for the Spider Woman By Margret E. Short, OPA, AWAM © 2012, 8x8 Oil on Panel Lessons from the Spider Woman, a pigment project by Margret E. Short American Women Artists, Visions of the Southwest Exhibition Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona November 3, 2012 through January 6, … [Read more...] about Gifts for the Spider Woman