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

A Basilisk and a Rooster Walked into a Bar

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Many of the quirkiest stories I have told have been right here in this blog during my Lessons from the Low Countries series.  Remember the one about the red haired man and the basilisk? If you recall, a basilisk is the legendary reptile, hatched by a serpent (or toad, depending on the source) from a rooster’s egg, and is so revolting, if it gazes … [Read more...] about A Basilisk and a Rooster Walked into a Bar

Girl in the Red Hat

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Throughout the 40 or so years that I have been painting, copying master works has held a certain fascination. It is a great way to practice and learn techniques from the very best. I copied Vermeer’s Girl in the Red Hat a number of years ago and gave it to Dave for his birthday. It was very unfair to actually buy the real one in the National … [Read more...] about Girl in the Red Hat

Meeting of the Minds

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On July 9th on Artists Mentors Online, I listened to the captivating discussion with Michael Harding and Tony Pro. Mr. Harding talked about the making of his line of paints and how he became interested in this topic. There were intelligent questions asked by artists via email and telephone. As you know, one of my favorite pigments is natural … [Read more...] about Meeting of the Minds

Nicosia Green Earth

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Left - Pure Nicosia Green Earth mixed with Linseed Middle - Holbein Silver White Right -  Exact beads of each color mixed together Nicosia Green Earth has many differing properties than Bohemian. This one has far lower saturation qualities. As you can see, mixing the same size bead together resulted in a much more pastel tone. This is a … [Read more...] about Nicosia Green Earth

It’s All Greek

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Quite unexpectedly and yet happily, a new pigment project has come my way. Some months ago, a client came to me with a request to paint a commission with the theme of 5th century BCE Greece. Specifically, he wants the focus to be black/red figure vase painting that  was in its apogee at about 480-430 BCE. Again, I have delved head first … [Read more...] about It’s All Greek