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.

Margret's Blog

Close Ups

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This detail shows how the fumed silica gel changes the consistency of the paint. On the left is pigment mixed with linseed oil. On the right is the same paint mixed with about 1/4 part silica gel. The workability of this is just magnificent. It is fluffy and lightweight, has no odor, and stays where you put the brushstroke. It does not level out or … [Read more...] about Close Ups

Strasbourg Medium

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Robert Massey's Canada balsam and sun thickened oil medium recipe resembles closely the legendary but no longer available, olio d'Abezzo. Strasbourg Medium Canada balsam, 4 parts, sun thickened linseed oil, 1 part, turpentine, 2 parts. Combine and warm the ingredients either in hot sunshine or over a double boiler, and stir them until they … [Read more...] about Strasbourg Medium

Hemlock and Lead White

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One of the most important events that took place at the very end of the 5th century BCE was the death of Socrates. I wanted to incorporate this into the composition of the painting without actually painting the flowers. The white flowering plant above is the blossom of the hemlock which I replicated across the surface of the focal piece of white … [Read more...] about Hemlock and Lead White

Naturally Red

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Shown below is my favorite red, cinnabar. It is a pigment found as a mineral in nature and can have a wide variety of hues from bright fire red to a more subtle coral red. The principle property is mercury. It can have striations of opal, quartz, calcite and other minerals. According to Anita Albus in her book, Art of Arts, it is a Greek word, … [Read more...] about Naturally Red

Modern vs. Historic

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Shown here are two reds used by contemporary artists. The color on the left is vermilion straight from the tube on the top, mixed with a little white on the bottom. The color on the right is a very modern pigment, cadmium red. As you can see, the vermilion has a slightly more subtle tone to it, whereas, the cadmium is very shockingly bright. To … [Read more...] about Modern vs. Historic

A Discriminating Palette

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Greek painters, especially those from the 5th century BCE, were remarkably skilled and created many hundreds of vases and other paintings. The many varieties of surfaces include terracotta plaques, walls, ceilings, panels, wood, marble, ivory, leather, parchment, and ceramic slabs. They used some of the most beautiful natural and synthetic pigments … [Read more...] about A Discriminating Palette