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.

Vagone Green

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Lace_and_plums Shown here is the first painting completed in my new studio. After so many months of not painting, it is splendid to be back to work, specifically experimenting with the natural pigments again. Initially, I felt very rusty but after just a little while it all seems familiar again. I had to review my drying charts from last year to see which pigments were the most desirable. The green in the leaves is vagone green which is one that has excellent drying properties. In my previous experiments I found other greens such as terra verde and celadonite to be poor driers. Another benefit to this pigment is the natural muted tone. Just a slight augmentation with a darkener for a shadow tone or white or lead tin yellow for a lighter passage gets the value where I want it to be. The fewer the pigments, the less confusing and muddy looking the mixtures are.

Chiaroscuro Painting

Oil painting with the chiaroscuro technique illuminates the focus area with a strong light. All other areas are painted with less detail, lower values, and intensity of color giving a mysterious appearance. By putting one or two objects in the important focus area, a strong but simple composition will emerge. Combining these oil painting techniques with a selection of superior natural pigments and oil paints result in the beautiful and evocative quality known as Chiaroscuro Painting.

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Comments

  1. Gorgeous! I’ve been inspired to start painting still lifes, starting small of course, but your work has been a great motivator — shows me just how far I have to go to reach close to perfection.

  2. Luscious paint handling as always. I was just trying to decide which green earths I’d like to try and noticed that Kremer’s Vagone Green is an enhanced pigment. Perhaps, as you’ve indicated, this is an improvement. My celadonite and bohemian green earth seem to be rather thin colors lending themselves to subtle glazes. But since your Vagone Green linked to Natural Pigments’ Verona Green I was wondering. No matter they’re all beautiful.

  4. Lovely little painting. Is it a detail of a larger one? I’m curious as to why fast drying time is important to you. Sometimes it is to me, and sometimes not. How does this pigment compare to sap green?
    Oh gosh, with all these questions, I hope you don’t decide to stop blogging again!

  8. Margret, what happened? I’m looking forward to seeing more work. Take a break from that other stuff you are doing and post something for me to look at please.