Oregon artist, Margret E. Short, specializes in still life and floral subjects in oils. Short is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America and a Master Signature Member of American Women Artists, and a member of the Salmagundi Club in New York. The Salmagundi Club has awarded four first prize awards to Margret, once in 1998, again in 2005, 2010, and 2012. In 1998, Ms. Short won the Director’s Purchase Prize at the National Small Oil Painting Exhibit in Wichita. Short has captured many other awards including the Grumbacher Gold Medallion at the 1999 Oil Painters of America Exhibit in Scottsdale, AZ. In 2003 Ms. Short was a featured artist on the Award winning Oregon Public Broadcasting, Oregon Art Beat, three times, in ’03, ’06, and ’07. In 2004, The Parker Company, based in Boston, chose Margret Short as the 2004 Featured Artist for the Undiscovered Italy 2005. Captivated by Rembrandt’s bling, Margret produced her splendid ‘07 series, Lessons from the Low Countries. This project was inspired by the color palettes of eleven select paintings in the exhibit, Rembrandt and the Golden Age of Dutch Art, whichtraveled to 3 U.S. cities in ‘06/07. Ms. Short replicated 17 th century paints for her collection by hand grinding each pigment. Luscious colors, with magical names like lapis lazuli, cinnabar, and malachite are the focus of each bountiful still life. Not only are the colors reproduced, Short also quoted, quite accurately, sections of each original work in her paintings in a game of hide and seek. This nearly sold out exhibit was presented as a One Woman Exhibit in Portland, Oregon in June 2007. Since this first Dutch pigment project, Margret has continued to explore and research ancient pigments used by cultures around the world including Egypt, Greece, and the Native Americans of the Southwest creating series of paintings based on specific pigments of those cultures. Most recently, Short is created a series called Minerals, Metals, and Dirt. This series featured mineral and earth colors painted on copper, gold and silver leaf, brass, stainless steel, and aluminum and was presented in Portland, OR in June 2013. About her work Margret says, "Color and lush paint are tools which bring lasting life to canvas when light touches objects in a dramatic way. Savoring the most lush brush strokes and brightest lights for the area of focus achieves a feeling of duality. This is accomplished by using mostly dark tones; several very light tones, and none or few in the middle range. Technique and materials in painting are as important as the result, preferably using materials proven by the test of time. Fine lead-primed linens, pure pigments, many of them historical and handmade by me personally, and resin/oil mediums allow the paint to take on a certain glowing quality. 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. A combination of these various techniques and selection of superior materials results in the beautiful and evocative quality of painting known as chiaroscuro."