Anxiety I
Medium: Oil pastels on paper
Size: 45 x 35 cm (framed)
Year: 2026
Artist: Laura Bernardeschi Nelson
Presentation: Signed, varnished, and professionally framed
Description:
Anxiety I is part of an ongoing series exploring mental health and the inner experience of emotional overload. Created using oil pastels, the work embraces a raw and tactile surface, allowing gesture and texture to convey a sense of immediacy and vulnerability.
The figure, with an open and exposed head, reflects a mind that cannot fully contain its thoughts. Lines and structures surrounding it suggest tension, connection, and the constant movement of internal dialogue. The use of cool blue tones evokes emotional weight and introspection, while the fragmented composition mirrors the instability often felt within moments of anxiety.
Philosophically, the work reflects on the fragile boundary between control and surrender. It questions how much of our inner world we can hold, and what happens when that boundary breaks. Rather than offering resolution, the painting invites the viewer to sit within this space of uncertainty and recognise the universality of such experiences.
This piece is not only a representation of anxiety, but also an acknowledgment of its presence as part of being human.