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

Pots, Black on Black

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Detail of black on black pottery in painting #2 Painting black on black pottery on canvas is tricky, in that, the darkest coolest black is quite dark and dense. For this I used ivory black with just a tiny addition of burnt umber dark to facilitate the drying. The Burnt Umber Dark  from Cypress is the darkest I have found. As you remember, … [Read more...] about Pots, Black on Black

Red Hot Chilis

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The chili peppers on painting #2 for the Lessons from the Spider Woman series is painted with natural cinnabar and some madder, heightened at the very end with flake white on the highlights. The stems are a simple mixture of yellow ochre and black, which makes a dazzling array of greens. Right at the finish, heighten with a little white on the … [Read more...] about Red Hot Chilis

Spider Woman Meets Wedding Planner

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The first painting in this Southwest themed project, Lessons from the Spider Woman, is finished. The entire painting, actual title, and size will be revealed as time draws closer to the exhibit date. My artistic license is used lavishly here not only in the Spider Woman mythology but also in the imaginative depiction of the story. Spider Woman is … [Read more...] about Spider Woman Meets Wedding Planner