Margret E Short Fine Arts Blog

Spider Woman Meets Wedding Planner

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 associated with several Native American tribes including Hopi, Keresan, and Navajo. One of her most important roles is to teach girls how to weave beautiful rugs and blankets.

In my painting, she weaves her own wedding veil. Before she begins weaving she rubs her hands in spider webs to gather her auspicious innate powers. Her skill is so perfect she is able to weave the finest threads into splendid shapes creating motifs of flowers, leaves, and repeating delicate designs. Here is a snippet of the work she has just finished to prepare for her wedding day.

Sometimes lace like this is so lovely, it boggles. Do any of you have an heirloom from Grandma or an Auntie that dazzles you? It was this actual piece of lace that inspired my story-painting of Spider Woman and her veil.

The coyote fetish, which I will talk about next time, was painted with natural azurite, seen below, of course, not from this actual chunk, (I value my freedom) but made in my studio.

Uber Azurite

One of the most spectacular mineral colors is azurite/malachite, which was at one time abundant and found in many places around the world including Arizona. It has been used by both artists of the past and today. This magnificent chunk is at the Tohona Botanical Garden in Tucson, AZ. The color absolutely made my heart go flip flop when I first gazed upon it. It measures about 3 feet across and 3 feet high. You can see why it is so popular to artists.

Many of the pigments used by Native Americans of the Southwest are synonymous with those used by artists of other cultures all over the world. Most of those colors are found in nature right in the Southwest region. These organic and mineral colors include earth tones, ochres, umbers, cochineal, azurite/malachite, and cinnabar.

Have you seen this at the Botanical Garden? Did it make your heart pound too? I will be using this pigment in this Lessons from the Spider Woman project.

A view from the top surface.

 

The World Over

One enduring concept has become clear to me during my years of historical pigment research. The colors used in world cultures throughout the ages are many of the very same pigments. The earth itself over thousands of centuries has created a harmonious palette of archival and readily available colors to create some of the most beautiful and enduring art in the world.

With few exceptions, the Dutch painters of the 17th century used similar pigments as the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks. Think of ancient peoples painting about 15,000 BCE in caves at Lascaux or the Egyptian Vizier recording history for the Pharaoh with chunks of ochre and charcoal. These same natural earth pigments were used to decorate sheets of papyrus, vellum, paper, caves, walls, faces, bodies, fabrics, clothing, tools, weapons, and stones everywhere. They probably just hacked a chunk off the cave wall and started painting, or charred some bone or sticks of wood and began to draw.

After Hatshepsut encouraged world trade in circa 1479 BCE, pigments such as Egyptian blue frit traveled the waterways to far off lands. Hatshepsut, the renown female Pharaoh, in turn, imported orpiment (a bright yellow) from Italy and Turkey and vermilion from China for Egyptian artisans to decorate the dazzling treasures or sarcophagus of one of (or all of) the eleven Ramses the Greats, King Horemheb, or good ole' King Tut himself.

Lessons from the Spider Woman

Announcing Pigment Project #5

Coming in autumn of 2012..

Lessons from the Spider Woman

Spanning all the way from Rembrandt's bling in the Dutch 17th Century to the dazzling riches in Land of the Pharaohs and most recently, the protective arms of Athena in Ancient Greece, this latest in my Lessons pigment series will focus on the folklore, art, and colors of the American Desert Dwellers.

Throughout the summer, I will be deeply enmeshed in the culture of the Southwest Native Americans, researching the pigments used during both the historical period and present time by the various Southwest peoples. All along the way, as in previous projects, I will post my findings and experiments with pigments here on this blog.

Spider Woman’s place in Native American culture equals not only that of Isis in Ancient Egypt but also Athena’s wisdom in Ancient Greece. Spider Woman lit up the night by creating the stars, taught women and children to weave splendid rugs and blankets, and made real people from clay. Endless stories describe her powers, which will be revealed as this project progresses. Follow along with me as I unearth myths about the naughty coyote, the shimmering dragonfly, and so many other creatures, and how they relate to art and culture of our American Southwest.

What are your favorite stories? Please let me know if you have any special ones you would like me to research and write about here, or weave into the Lessons from the Spider Woman paintings. I would love to hear from you.

Driveway Moments

New work will be exhibited at the Rental Sales Gallery upcoming exhibit.

Driveway Moments  17x19  Oil on Linen

Copyright Margret E. Short, OPA, AWAM, 2012

Rental Sales Gallery, Portland Art Museum, Spring Exhibit, April 20, 2012, 5 to 8 PM, 1237 SW 10th Avenue, Portland, OR 97205, 503-224-0674.

Flowers for Ella's Hair

New Work will be exhibited at Rental Sales Gallery, Portland, Oregon.

 

Flowers for Ella's Hair   8x8 Oil on Panel    Jazz Singer Series   

Copyright Margret E. Short, OPA, AWAM  2012

Rental Sales Gallery Spring Group Exhibit, Portland Art Museum, April 20th, 5 to 8 PM. 1237 SW 10th Portland, OR 97205, 503-224-0674

  

 

Chinese New Year at the Governor's Mansion

Mahonia Hall, Salem, Oregon Governor's Mansion Reception

Dave and I enjoyed a lovely evening reception at Mahonia Hall hosted by Governor John Kitzhaber and First Lady Cylvia Hayes, given in appreciation of Oregon Winegrowers and Artists. Several artists from the Rental Sales Gallery were chosen to exhibit work in the mansion. The three pieces below are hanging in a delightful round breakfast room. Touring the 1920s style house, it was easy to see the superb craftsmanship of the period. Directly above the breakfast room is another round room identical to the one on the main floor.

Photo courtesy- Willy Paul   Rental Sales

Shelf Life, 8x10 O/P  Copyright Margret E. Short 2011 

Vermilion and Dogwood, 6x6, O/P  Copyright Margret E. Short 2011

Fancy Radish, 8x8 O/P Margret E. Short, 2011

The Great Girl Jazz Singers

For as long as I can remember, I have been crazy for the music of the Great Girl Jazz Singers of the past. When I was a little girl, my gramma and I would often snuggle up to the radio to listen to singers such as Jo Stafford. Some performed at the legendary Mount Hood Jazz Festival which I attended many years. Stars like Anita O'Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Cleo Laine, and Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McRae, and Nancy Wilson graced the stage at Mt. Community College at that outdoor music fest, stars twinkling above and moon listening through the treetops.

Many of those greats are now gone, but lucky for us, Christa Wessel at KMHD is keeping the music alive on her weekly Divaville radio show right here in the Portland area at 89.1 on your FM dial. Every week you can hear music by Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, Rosemary Clooney, Billie Holiday, Julie London, and Peggy Lee along with so many other unforgettable voices.

The "Flowers for" paintings is a new series I created to honor the "Girl Jazz Singers" from the Golden Age of Jazz. It was common for the singers to tuck a flower behind one ear during their performance. Perhaps the most famous was Billie Holiday, honored here in my painting called, Flowers for Billie's Hair.

Sold, Highlands Gallery

© Margret E. Short 2011, OPA. AWA

The paintings shown below in the previous posts represent the ever funny and entertaining Pearl Baily, Blossom Dearie who was once a librarian, and the sultry Keely Smith. All three paintings are on display at the Gallery 903 in Portland, Oregon.

I invite you to cuddle up to your computer or wrap your arms around your radio any Wednesday evening at 7 and enjoy both male and female voices from the past. You can even send or call in requests. Stir up some martinis and kick back the rug to enjoy two hours of nostalgic music from the 1920's to the '60s.

If you have any suggestions for my "Flowers for" series, I would love to hear from you.

 

Flowers for Blossom's Hair

Flowers for Blossom's Hair

8x8  Oil on Linen Panel

© Margret E. Short 2011, OPA. AWA

Gallery 903, 903 NW Davis, Portland, Oregon, 503-248-0903

Flowers for Pearl's Hair

Flowers for Pearl's Hair

8x8  oil on linen panel

© Margret E. Short 2011, OPA. AWA

Gallery 903, 903 NW Davis, Portland, Oregon 97209, 503-248--0903