http://www.saatchiart.com/lauraartist68
http://www.artpal.com/laurabernnelson
Title: Riverbend in Provence
Medium: Oil Pastels on Paper (Varnished)
Dimensions (framed): 30 x 40 cm
Visible Artwork: 21 x 30 cm
Signed: Front and back by artist Laura Bernardeschi Nelson
In Riverbend in Provence, Laura Bernardeschi Nelson captures the lingering warmth of a summer memory—an afternoon spent wandering through the vibrant countryside of southern France. Painted in oil pastels and later varnished for preservation, the piece evokes the textured immediacy of a fleeting moment: golden fields rippling in the breeze, a cobalt river carving its quiet path through the land, and a sky swirling with cloud and light.
Inspired by her travels through Provence, the artist channels not just what she saw, but what she felt—the gentle hush of the landscape, the scent of dry grass and distant lavender, the deep peace of being far from the rush of time. Cypress and olive trees rise like dark punctuation against the horizon, framing the land with a touch of stillness and structure.
Laura’s use of oil pastels brings a rich softness to the composition, allowing colors to blend into one another in a way that feels like memory itself: vivid in places, gentle and blurred in others. The bold blues of the river contrast with the sun-warmed yellows of the fields, suggesting movement and light without needing strict realism.
This landscape is not simply a depiction—it’s a recollection, lovingly preserved in color and line. For Laura, Provence is not just a place on the map, but a feeling: one of openness, quiet beauty, and renewal. In Riverbend in Provence, she invites us to pause and remember our own still places, wherever they may lie.
Laura Bernardeschi Nelson artworld and travels 