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

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

Red Haired Men and Other Curiosities on Pigments

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A lively and strange excerpt from Bright Earth by Philip Ball,  gives us a recipe for Spanish Gold using pure magical thinking. From the writings of Theophilus: "There is also a gold named Spanish gold, which is compounded from red copper, basilisk powder, human blood, and vinegar. The heathen, whose skill in this art is … [Read more...] about Red Haired Men and Other Curiosities on Pigments

The Basilisk

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According to Micha Lindemans, the basilisk is the mythical king of the serpents. This cockatrice creature was born from a spherical, yolkless egg, laid during the days of Sirius by a seven year old rooster and hatched by a toad. It also played a role in the making of Spanish Gold. The basilisk could have originated from the horned adder or hooded … [Read more...] about The Basilisk