“September Sunrise”, 9.5″ x 12.5″, Sennelier soft pastels on Sennelier 170lb pastel card, 2026
Inspired by a recent sunrise, seen in McMinnville, Oregon. I find sunrises give me a sense of hope. I’ve been needing them a lot more lately. This is available for sale.
This piece is my largest pastel to-date, and is also on a different surface; Sennelier pastel card. I did my very first pastel on a small sample and I was very pleased with the results. I like the coarseness of the grit on this card stock. It holds pigment well. More delightfully than the texture and tooth of the card stock, I really like how well it stays flat (unlike the Claire Fontaine Pastelmat, which reliably curls).
On a December trip to the coast last year, I saw an amazing sun rise. The sky was infused with hues of bold pink. I managed to get a shot or two, but mostly just watched it quickly evolve. It developed quickly, and quickly faded away.
So very pink.
On my most recent trip to the same favorite location, I found myself trying to capture that moment and the bold pink sun rise in pastels, using a combination of the reference photo I had set aside for the purpose, and also the view from my balcony (for scale and proportion and things of that sort). I found myself faced with what could politely be called “mixed success”. lol
“Siletz Bay Pink Sunrise I” 5″ x 7″, pastel on Pastelbord, 2024
Yeah… no. There are things I like about it. Things I don’t. The “mistakes” shout at me – so I tried again.
“Siletz Bay Pink Sunrise II” 5″ x 7″, pastel on Pastelbord, 2024
Another attempt. Another piece about which I have mixed feelings, and a great deal of criticism. lol I set the idea aside for another attempt on some other day.
There are things about both pieces I greatly enjoy. The colors being one of those, and I admittedly simply enjoy a sunrise, and these both find room in my heart on that basis alone. I’ll try this again, though. There is so much to learn from these attempts, and the image that inspires them. I learn a lot from “failure”, if these can really even be called that. They have beauty of their own.
“Sunrise at the Trailhead” 5″ x 7″ pastel on pastel board, 2024
Inspired by a vibrant September sunrise at a local trailhead. A favorite source of inspiration for me is the opportunity to watch the sunrise before a hike.
“Summer Dahlias” 5″ x 7″ pastel on pastel board, 2024
An exploration of light and color, inspired by summer Dahlias at a local market. This piece is done using Henri Roche pastels on Ampersand pastel board.
