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.

Historical Pigments

More Mummy Tales

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Many followers of this blog often ask if I had ever read anything about a pigment called, mummy yellow, or mummy brown. Well, I have, and this is probably the most bizarre and creepy pigment story yet. In her book, Colors, Anne Verichon says that in ancient Egypt mummy yellow was sacred because it was made from real mummies. In the embalming … [Read more...] about More Mummy Tales

Details Please

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This detail of the same painting shows a chunk of malachite similar to those found in the Egyptian rooms at the Smithsonian. I thought it fitting to portray the mineral as the ancients would have found it before it was ground into a pigment.   … [Read more...] about Details Please

The Vizier’s Paints

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Paint Box of Vizier Amenemope   Egypt, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18 (1540-1296 BC), Reign of Amenhotep II, c. 1427-1401 BC. Boxwood with inscription inlaid in Egyptian blue, 3.6 x 2.2 x 21.0 cm. © The Cleveland Museum of Art Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1914.680 Image Courtesy of Cleveland Museum of Art. This … [Read more...] about The Vizier’s Paints

When I Grow Up, I Want to Be an Art Forger

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Now I do not aspire to go underground or "non-legit" with my painting techniques, but art forgery is quite a fascinating topic. One of the best ploys Eric Hebborn suggests is to purchase an artistically worthless old painting, say, from an antique shop or art auction. Wood panel or canvas, each would be naturally aged and seasoned, ready to scrape, … [Read more...] about When I Grow Up, I Want to Be an Art Forger