Oil Pastel Techniques in Contemporary Art with Laura Bernardeschi Nelson

https://www.artpal.com/laurabernnelson/

Sunset Drift
Artist: Laura Bernardeschi Nelson
Medium: Oil pastels on paper
Technique: Impasto-inspired layering with sweeping strokes and radiant tonal blending
Finish: Sealed with archival varnish for protection and vibrancy
Size: 25 x 20 cm (unframed) / 30 x 25 cm in silver frame with mount (sold framed)
Signature: Signed on front and back
Originality: Unique original artwork

In Sunset Drift, Laura Bernardeschi Nelson explores the delicate balance between surrender and resilience. A solitary boat, its sails worn yet upright, glides across a restless sea beneath the glow of a vast, golden sun. Surrounding the vessel, the water churns in turquoise and emerald, its motion echoing both turbulence and quiet strength.

The pastel texture adds intimacy and immediacy, with expressive strokes that blur the boundaries between sea, sky, and spirit. A vivid horizon hints at transition: between storm and calm, day and night, collapse and recovery.

This piece, like much of Bernardeschi Nelson’s work, transforms seascape into soulscape.

Title: Whispers of Northumberland
Artist: Laura Bernardeschi Nelson
Medium: Oil pastels on paper
Technique: Impasto texture with layered, expressive strokes and soft tonal transitions
Finish: Unframed; sold protected in a transparent archival plastic sleeve
Size: 30 x 40 cm (in mount)
Signature: Signed on front and back
Originality: Unique original artwork

In Whispers of Northumberland, Laura Bernardeschi Nelson captures the quiet enchantment of a local lake near her home. Framed by tall, watchful trees, the water reflects a soft sky, while textured strokes of crimson and violet flowers line the bank like a murmured memory of summer.

The artist uses thick oil pastels to evoke the immersive texture of the landscape, from reeds swaying in the foreground to the dense green hush of the woodland beyond. This is not just a scene, but a place of personal refuge and presence—a visual meditation on rootedness, stillness, and seasonal change.

Part of Bernardeschi Nelson’s ongoing relationship with land and memory, this piece invites the viewer to slow down and listen to the land’s quieter songs.