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When Expression Becomes Too Heavy

For years, artist Laura Bernardeschi Nelson was known for her powerful abstract paintings—bold, textured works in acrylic that spoke to social justice, displacement, and the emotional cost of conflict. Her canvases were alive with urgency and raw expression, often sparking dialogue about topics many preferred to avoid.

But a few months ago, something shifted.

Laura began experiencing intense anxiety and a persistent wave of depression that made it harder to face the kind of work she had built her reputation on. The large-scale canvases felt distant. The heavy themes became emotionally overwhelming.

“It felt like my paintings were shouting at me,” she says. “And I didn’t have the energy to shout back.”

Rediscovering the Ground

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Rather than walking away from art entirely, Laura made a quiet pivot. She reached for oil pastels, something tactile and immediate. She left the upright canvas behind and returned to paper—kneeling, sitting, grounding herself as she worked close to the surface.

“There’s something elemental about it,” she explains. “With oil pastels, there’s no brush, no tool separating me from the colour. It’s just my hand, the pigment, and the paper. That physical connection is calming. It’s like I can feel the earth again.”

This shift led her away from abstraction and toward soft, peaceful landscapes—fields bursting with green, wildflowers under a gentle breeze, coastlines resting under quiet skies. Her recent works hum with stillness and healing.

“These aren’t just landscapes,” Laura says. “They’re places I want to go, places where my nervous system can breathe.”

Choosing Peace Over Performance

In this new phase, Laura has intentionally stepped back from the gallery circuit and the pressure of exhibitions.

“I’m not applying for shows right now,” she says. “Not because I don’t care about visibility, but because I need to protect my mental health. The deadlines, the judgement, the rush—it’s not what I need right now.”

Instead, she shares her work slowly and softly—mainly online and only when it feels right. Her audience has followed her into this quieter chapter, drawn not just to the beauty of her new style but to the honesty behind it.

Art as Anchor

Laura’s story isn’t one of withdrawal but of return. Return to her body, to her breath, to a slower rhythm of making. In turning away from themes of urgency, she has turned toward something deeper: self-compassion.

Through gentle strokes and quiet landscapes, she’s not escaping the world but learning how to stay in it differently.

“Art has always helped me make sense of things,” she reflects. “Now, more than ever, it’s helping me stay grounded, stay soft, stay alive.”

And once again—perhaps more clearly than ever before—art has become her therapy.
A space not to perform, but to heal. A way to hold pain without being consumed by it.

Thanks for reading

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