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Leap of Light—A Dance Between Motion and Colour
Original Oil Pastel by Laura Bernardeschi Nelson
There is a singular freedom in the arc of a dolphin mid-leap — a moment where motion and stillness merge, suspended between sky and sea. Leap of Light was born from that fleeting instant: a celebration of movement, reflection, and the way light transforms everything it touches.
This piece was created using oil pastels on heavyweight cold-pressed paper, chosen for its gentle texture and ability to hold rich pigment. I worked intuitively from warm to cool — beginning at the sunlit centre with tones of golden yellow, peach, and rose, then blending outward into violets and deepening blues. The contrast between the radiant west and the indigo east forms a natural tension, unified by a narrow strip of land on the horizon.
The dolphin, caught in mid-air, is not merely a subject but a gesture — a curve of life lifted by light. I sculpted its form in layered greys and oceanic blues, keeping the marks loose and fluid to preserve movement. The splash is created with broken white pigment, tapped gently to suggest droplets frozen in time.
Below, the water receives the leap with a softened mirror — a reflection that dissolves into ripples and refracted colour. The resulting interplay between sky and sea, form and echo, makes this work as much about atmosphere as anatomy.
With Leap of Light, I wanted to explore joy as a physical act — the kind of exuberance that rises instinctively, needing no permission.
Technical Notes
- Medium: Oil pastels on cold-pressed 160gsm paper
- Size: 30 x 20 cm (mounted to 40 x 30 cm)
- Finish: Lightly varnished to protect pigment and enhance depth
- Tools: Oil pastels applied and blended by hand; fine details etched with pastel edge and fingertip
- Palette: Custom-blended hues including lemon yellow, vermilion, magenta, ultramarine, indigo, and soft neutrals
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Laura Bernardeschi Nelson artworld and travels 