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.

oil painting

Stack White Process – Part ll

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You might ask why the term “flake” is applied to describe authentic Dutch flake lead white. The answer comes from the appearance of the material as it actually flakes off the metallic lead strips during the formation process. Modern lead white pigment found commonly in art supply stores is not a true flake white made in the process called Dutch … [Read more...] about Stack White Process – Part ll

Creme d la creme of White Pigments – Part l

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  Those of you who have followed this blog know of my passion for historical pigments that have quirky legends attached to them, the quirkier the better.  Indeed, there are some mighty bizarre tales related to the making of colors, painting techniques, and stories of strange artists themselves. Well, stack lead white is a color that is … [Read more...] about Creme d la creme of White Pigments – Part l

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

Copper on the Easel

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Several years ago, I did a series of paintings on sheets of copper of various sizes, which was enormously fun. Here are two from that series.     Well, now here it is 2013, and it's time for another challenge with a new pigment series. This new project poking at my mad scientist self is more expansive though, and will be … [Read more...] about Copper on the Easel

Mystery of the Medlar-Revealed

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If you are like me, you most likely are scratching your noggin, asking, "what the heck is a medlar?" Well, I asked that very same question many times years ago. Often while looking at paintings in museums or browsing through art books, I noticed an odd looking nut-like fruity exotic thing in compositions of Dutch still lifes, mostly from the 17th … [Read more...] about Mystery of the Medlar-Revealed