Autumn Sunrise, Air Museum Trail

Nov8
“Autumn Sunrise, Air Museum Trail” 5″ x 7″, pastels on Pastelbord, 2026

Each morning, I take a walk. Often it is very near to home, on one trail or another that feels very familiar and safe. I enjoy beginning the day with a walk and a chance to watch the sun rise again. This piece attempts to capture the filtered oranges and yellows as the sun rises through the oaks planted along one section of the trail that loops around the air museum.

In addition to using Ampersand Pastelbord for the surface, this piece is painted with a combination of Schmincke and Henri Roche pastels, and is available for purchase.

Tangerine Sunrise

Nov8
“Tangerine Sunrise” 5″ x 7′ pastels on Pastelbord, 2026

I painted this piece inspired by a vibrant autumn sunrise near McMinnville, Oregon. I used Henri Roche pastels, on Ambersand Pastelbord. This piece uses just 7 pigments, and I definitely enjoyed relaxing into more familiar “brush strokes” with this piece. As small as it is, I started the piece with some concern that many years of painting much larger pieces (typically 24″ x 36″, often larger) would make some movements that “feel right” for painting fine-tuned in some hard to define way that wouldn’t work for pastels, nor for such small surfaces.

I did recently begin to work a little larger in pastels, doing some 24 cm x 32 cm pieces, which feels pretty comfortable, but also makes me painfully aware of how much more space they need for storage!

Fog

Oct27

I got into the studio over the weekend, feeling really inspired by fog and foggy mornings on hiking trails and walks through parks.

“Foggy Autumn Morning”, 5″ x 7″ pastels on pastelbord, 2026

“Foggy Autumn Morning” attempts to capture the muted hues of autumn leaves in the fog, and the sight of a stranger on the trail ahead.

“Strangers in the Fog”, 9.5″ x 12.5″ pastels on pastel card, 2026

“Strangers in the Fog” revisits the theme, from the perspective of a different season, and with more emphasis on the strangers in the distance, ahead. These were both inspired, at least in part, by an earlier piece, and my fondness for foggy mornings generally.

I enjoy the soft mysterious quality of fog.

These two new pieces were both painted using Schmincke soft pastels, and are available for sale.

Siletz Bay October Morning

Oct17
“Siletz Bay, October Morning” 9.5″ x 12.5″, Schmincke soft pastels on Sennelier 170lb pastel card, 2026

This piece was inspired by the changing landscape of Siletz Bay on an October morning of plein air painting on the fourth floor balcony of my hotel room. I delight at the sight of faint clouds of pastel dust floating away on the breeze. It was moody and misty as the day began. The lighting shifted quickly towards sunshine, sparkling off the surface of the water. I did my best to keep up.

The pastel card is wonderful as a pastel surface, but the coarser grit (compared to Ampersand Pastelbord) really tears through the pastels themselves.

The Drain

Oct14
“The Drain” 9.5″ x 12.5″, Schmincke soft pastels on Sennelier 170lb pastel card, 2026

Something seemed to pull me into the studio tonight, like a powerful current near a sinkhole or enormous drain.

This was painted using Schmincke soft pastels, and Henri Roche (the “Feu d’artifice” were used in the sky). This combination of pastels and paper is lovely to work with, and the specific coarseness of the page gives a peculiar smoothness to the sensation of each stroke.

Autumn Afternoon

Oct11
“Autumn Afternoon” 11″ x 14″”, Schmincke soft pastels on Ampersand Pastelbord, 2026

A walk on a crisp autumn afternoon inspired this piece. The breeze was chilly, the leaves rustled, showing off their fall colors. It was a beautiful sparkling moment.

Photographed in full sunlight. (Not recommended for long-term placement.)

This piece takes advantage of the vibrant hues of fall in my selection of Schmincke pastels. It is available for sale.

A Pond in the Slough

Oct10
“A Pond in the Slough” 9.5″ x 12.5″, Sennelier soft pastels on Sennelier 170lb pastel card, 2026

Inspired by treks across various savannahs and sloughs in Oregon, and particularly a recent visit to Basket Slough, looking down from the hillside towards a number of ponds and small lakes.

This piece was done using a selection of Schmincke pastels which recently entered my rotation. I’m very pleased with them.

This piece is available for sale.

Nightlight

Oct5
“Nightlight” 9.5″ x 12.5″, Sennelier soft pastels on Sennelier 170lb pastel card, 2026

This one was inspired by nights camping in the forests of Oregon, surrounded by silent sentinels and quiet nocturnal creatures. Safe and snug at camp, just the string of colored lights to dispel the darkness.

This was painted on Sennelier pastel card, which is new for me (I like it, and my very first piece was done on a sample of it, but I couldn’t find a local source at the time). The pastels are Schmincke, from Germany. Quite nice to work with.

Comparing Schmincke Soft Pastels With Henri Roche, Sennelier, and Blue Earth

Oct4

This is a follow-up to my earlier comparison of Henri Roche, Sennelier, and Blue Earth soft pastels.

It has become increasingly difficult to source Henri Roche pastels in the US, and they’ve temporarily closed their online store. With that in mind, I decided to give Schmincke’s line of soft pastels* a try. I purchased an assortment of half stick and got started.

*This review is not sponsored content; all supplies were purchased by me, using my own funds.

Four small assortments of six half sticks made a nice general purpose assortment.

I’ll be ticking with the same details as in my prior review.

I painted two pieces using just the Schmincke soft pastels to get a feel for them.

Here’s what I observed about the Schmincke pastels:

  • Color characteristics: the Schmincke soft pastels have vibrant clean colors. Considerable attention is given to the tints and shades of each full saturation hue. They create contrast easily without muddying when smudged.
  • How they feel in my fingers: these pastels are firm and dry and very even and consistent in size. They are less brittle than the Henri Roche pigments sometimes are. I’d call them “fine”, and they feel very good to use.
  • How they lay down on a surface: these apply evenly and are comfortable to use. I noticed that they lay down enough color in a single stroke that I’ve almost used up a couple of them on just two pictures.
  • How much dust do they make? I found it easy to get coverage and lay down a heavy layer of pigment with little dust pretty easy, and the dust falls to the floor or into the dust catch of my tabletop easel. Less airborne dust than with the Blue Earth pastels, but they do create quite a bit of dust.
  • How easily they smudge and blend: the Schmincke pastels blend easily and smudge beautifully with a bit of pressure. They maintain the clarity of the colors when blending.
  • How much I enjoy using them: sometimes a particular product just works for me. I like these enough to put them in my permanent rotation. They fit neatly somewhere between the Sennelier soft pastels and the Henri Roche soft pastels. I’ll definitely be getting more of these.

I hope this brief practical review is useful.