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Margret E. Short Fine Arts

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.

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historical pigments

Adelaide Labille-Guiard; Folkdancing Backwards

April 28, 2025 by Margret Short

Adelaide Labille came from a more modest background than the previous three women featured in this series. In spite of this, she rose to fame and became known as the greatest women pastel portraitist next to Rosalba Carriera. What is noteworthy to me, is even though many women artists rise in fame during their lifetime, their prominence fades over … [Read more...] about Adelaide Labille-Guiard; Folkdancing Backwards

Tagged With: historical pigments, Margret Short, oil painting, painting, pigment project, pigments

The Queen of Capri Waltzed Backwards in Button Boots: Sophie Gengembre Anderson

April 18, 2025 by Margret Short

One common thread with many women artists discussed here is that they were born into well-to-do families and had successful and influential parents, usually professionally educated in the arts or sciences. This is very true of the French artist, Sophie Gengembre Anderson whose father was both an architect and artist. Though she was born in Paris, … [Read more...] about The Queen of Capri Waltzed Backwards in Button Boots: Sophie Gengembre Anderson

Tagged With: historical pigments, Margret Short, oil painting, painting, pigment project, pigments

Dancing the Rigaudon Backwards: Rachel Ruysch

April 12, 2025 by Margret Short

Unlike the previous featured artist, Elisabetta Sirani, Rachel Ruysch lived a long and fruitful 86 years. It’s no wonder her passion for art developed early with a penchant for natural marvels like flowers, butterflies, lizards, and other creatures because she was raised the daughter of a physician/anatomist and botanist, Frederik Ruysch. Fortune … [Read more...] about Dancing the Rigaudon Backwards: Rachel Ruysch

Tagged With: historical pigments, Margret Short, oil painting, painting, pigment project, pigments

Dancing Backwards with Elisabetta Sirani: 1638-1665

April 5, 2025 by Margret Short

After deciding on the topic for this project, I found two books on women artists in my library and began the research. Several works by certain artists stood out. As usual, vibrant shimmering color or color harmony draws me in to a composition. The work of Elisabetta Sirani instantly reveals a bold color palette often with unmuted primary and … [Read more...] about Dancing Backwards with Elisabetta Sirani: 1638-1665

Tagged With: historical pigments, Margret Short, oil painting, painting, pigment project, pigments

Backwards and in High Heels: Lessons from Stories about Nearly Unknown Gifted Women Artists of the Early and Current Years of Oil Painting

March 29, 2025 by Margret Short

It's no secret that history books are written by those in power. They write what they want and what they want known. It's been my experience that many gifted women artists have gotten the short paintbrush when they deserve much more recognition by historians. It is common to see a scant handful or more often zero talented female artists' … [Read more...] about Backwards and in High Heels: Lessons from Stories about Nearly Unknown Gifted Women Artists of the Early and Current Years of Oil Painting

Tagged With: historical pigments, Margret Short, oil painting, painting, pigment project, pigments

Quintessential Blue Comes to an End

May 8, 2023 by Margret Short

Circles Modello Joker in the Tulip Garden Mystical Modello Vessel for the Water Endlessly Modello Palpable Modello Infinite Modello Crystalline Modello Quintessential Blue comes to an end. All paintings are on view at Bronze Coast Gallery in Cannon Beach, Oregon. Thank you for following my stories of the … [Read more...] about Quintessential Blue Comes to an End

Tagged With: historical pigments, Margret Short, oil painting, painting, pigment project, pigments

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Recent Blogs

Doing the Mazurka with Emma Sandys

Adelaide Labille-Guiard; Folkdancing Backwards

The Queen of Capri Waltzed Backwards in Button Boots: Sophie Gengembre Anderson

Dancing the Rigaudon Backwards: Rachel Ruysch

Dancing Backwards with Elisabetta Sirani: 1638-1665

[More Blog Posts]

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