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

Songs for the Pharaoh

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While departing Egypt in 2009, I found this splendid lute-like oudat an airport shop. I purchased it with the intention of using it as a prop in a painting because of the beautiful shades and shapes in the design. Literally, the 'ud means twig', 'flexible rod' or 'aromatic stick'. It is an instrument that remains popular in Egypt and dates as … [Read more...] about Songs for the Pharaoh

One and a Half Billion and Counting

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In a television interview on February 5, 2011,Farouk Okdah, Egypt's Central Bank Governor, said Egypt's tourism industry has lost $1.5 billion since the protests to oust Hosni Mubarak began on January 25. This was according to the state-run Middle East News Agency, which ran excerpts of his interview. Having traveled to Egypt in 2009, I saw … [Read more...] about One and a Half Billion and Counting

Current Events

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Because of my involvement with this Ancient Egyptian Part Two pigment project, I feel a connection and fascination with the current events in Egypt. It is both horrifying and mesmerizing to watch things unfold from day to day. During my two years of research and studies since traveling there and seeing so many sacred places, I have become … [Read more...] about Current Events

Vandalism Along the Nile

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This stunning figure depicts King Tut on the back of a leopard. It is one of the priceless artifacts damaged by vandals in the recent unrest in Egypt. The figure seems to have been connected with incidents of the passage of the king through the underworld. The leopard is black, the color of darkness, but it would have been inappropriate to depict … [Read more...] about Vandalism Along the Nile

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