Title: Keeper of the Moon
Artist: Laura Bernardeschi Nelson
Medium: Oil Pastels on Paper
Artwork Size: ~20 x 30 cm
Framed in 40 x 30 cm IKEA Frame
Signed front and back | Varnished
Saatchi Art Listing Description (under 1000 words):
Keeper of the Moon is a portal to the mythic and the sacred, where celestial forces commune with the earthly realm. Set under a twilight sky shimmering with distant stars, this oil pastel piece by Laura Bernardeschi Nelson evokes a dreamlike figure rising from the sea—part goddess, part elemental force—holding two staffs as if anchoring the cosmos. A glowing full moon floats above her, encircled in reverence.
The figure emerges from an island-like form that seems woven of water, fabric, and myth, her presence commanding yet gentle. Draped in dark, textured layers that blend into the sea below, she wears a belt of golden orbs and a crown of light. She is both guardian and part of the landscape—neither entirely human nor spirit, but a manifestation of balance, mystery, and feminine strength.
Framed by trees, the circular composition creates the sensation of peering through a natural window or ceremonial veil. The sea and sky reflect each other in hues of lilac, gold, and indigo, suggesting a liminal hour where the world is neither day nor night, but something else entirely—something sacred.
This piece invites stillness and contemplation. It asks the viewer to pause and remember the quiet forces that shape us: moonlight, solitude, memory, ritual. Keeper of the Moon is a visual poem for anyone who has stood at the edge of the world and felt the pull of something timeless.
Laura Bernardeschi Nelson artworld and travels 