diff --git a/src/main/java/org/scijava/ui/swing/task/SwingTaskMonitorComponent.java b/src/main/java/org/scijava/ui/swing/task/SwingTaskMonitorComponent.java
index e91d134..8d9c54d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/scijava/ui/swing/task/SwingTaskMonitorComponent.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/scijava/ui/swing/task/SwingTaskMonitorComponent.java
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@
 import org.scijava.task.Task;
 import org.scijava.task.event.TaskEvent;
 
-import javax.swing.Icon;
 import javax.swing.JComponent;
 import javax.swing.JFrame;
 import javax.swing.JLabel;
@@ -44,13 +43,12 @@
 import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
 import javax.swing.JTable;
 import javax.swing.SwingConstants;
-import javax.swing.UIManager;
 import javax.swing.border.EmptyBorder;
 import javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicProgressBarUI;
 import javax.swing.table.AbstractTableModel;
 import javax.swing.table.TableCellRenderer;
 import java.awt.BorderLayout;
-import java.awt.Color;
+
 import java.awt.Component;
 import java.awt.Dimension;
 import java.awt.Graphics;
@@ -148,6 +146,8 @@ public class SwingTaskMonitorComponent {
 	 */
 	private double globalProgression = 0;
 
+	private boolean rowHeightInitialized = false;
+
 	/**
 	 * Constructs a Swing Task Monitor component - clickable circular progress bar
 	 * the component can be accessed with
@@ -200,7 +200,6 @@ public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
 		taskFrame = new JFrame("Tasks");
 		if (undecorated) {
 			taskFrame.setUndecorated(true);
-			taskFrame.setBackground(new Color(1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f));
 		}
 
 		// taskTable showing all tasks, contained in taskFrame
@@ -209,7 +208,6 @@ public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
 		taskTable.setShowGrid(false);
 		taskTable.setIntercellSpacing(new Dimension(0, 0));
 		taskTable.setTableHeader(null); // no header
-		taskTable.setRowHeight(65);
 		taskTable.setRowMargin(2);
 		taskTable.setDefaultRenderer(Task.class, new TaskRenderer(false));
 		// restrict size of second column to the size of the stop icon
@@ -266,6 +264,12 @@ private void onEvent(final TaskEvent evt) {
 		} else {
 			taskTableModel.addOrUpdate(task);
 		}
+		if (!rowHeightInitialized) {
+			rowHeightInitialized = true;
+			TableCellRenderer renderer = taskTable.getDefaultRenderer(Task.class);
+			Component c = renderer.getTableCellRendererComponent(taskTable, task, false, false, 0, 0);
+			taskTable.setRowHeight(c.getPreferredSize().height + taskTable.getRowMargin());
+		}
 		// globalProgression has been updated during taskTableModel update
 		globalProgressBar.setValue((int)(globalProgression*100));
 	}
@@ -484,8 +488,7 @@ class TaskRenderer implements TableCellRenderer {
 		JLabel labelTop = new JLabel(); // top label : task name and status
 		JProgressBar progressBar = new JProgressBar(); // standard linear progress bar
 		JLabel labelBottom = new JLabel(); // bottom label : task completion, and optionally time left
-		Icon errorIcon = UIManager.getIcon("OptionPane.errorIcon"); // icon for canceling task
-		JLabel cancelTask; // container for errorIcon
+		JLabel cancelTask; // cancel icon
 
 		public TaskRenderer(boolean isBordered) {
 			labelTop.setVerticalTextPosition(SwingConstants.TOP);
@@ -498,9 +501,8 @@ public TaskRenderer(boolean isBordered) {
 			cell.add(labelTop,"height ::14, span");
 			cell.add(progressBar,"height ::3, span");
 			cell.add(labelBottom, "height ::14");
-			cancelTask = new JLabel(errorIcon, SwingConstants.CENTER);
+			cancelTask = new JLabel("\u2715", SwingConstants.CENTER);
 			cancelTask.setOpaque(true);
-			cancelTask.setBackground(cell.getBackground());
 		}
 
 		@Override
@@ -508,6 +510,13 @@ public Component getTableCellRendererComponent(
 			JTable table, Object tk,
 			boolean isSelected, boolean hasFocus,
 			int row, int column) {
+			// Pick up LaF colors from the table
+			cell.setBackground(table.getBackground());
+			cell.setForeground(table.getForeground());
+			labelTop.setForeground(table.getForeground());
+			labelBottom.setForeground(table.getForeground());
+			cancelTask.setBackground(table.getBackground());
+			cancelTask.setForeground(table.getForeground());
 			if (column==1) {
 				return cancelTask; // second column : stop icon
 			}