Exploring ‘Only Together’: Art for Climate Awareness with Laura Bernardeschi Nelson

Only Together

Oil pastels on paper, 45 × 35 cm
Framed, varnished, and signed on front and back
Laura Bernardeschi Nelson (2025)

In Only Together, Laura Bernardeschi Nelson transforms a reference to Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam into a contemporary meditation on cooperation, climate change, and renewal. Using rich layers of oil pastel on textured paper, she builds a tactile surface where gesture, color, and symbolism intertwine.

At the heart of the composition, two hands reach toward one another across a vortex of elemental energy — earth, air, fire, and water — rendered in dynamic swirls of blue, green, and warm ochre. From their near-touch emerges a fragile red flower, a symbol of regeneration and hope amid aridity. The piece suggests that the act of creation today is no longer divine alone, but collective: only through mutual care and collaboration between humankind and nature can the cycle of life be sustained.

Nelson’s technique merges expressive drawing with painterly layering. The use of oil pastels allows for a sensuous blending of tones, while the paper’s surface retains a raw, organic texture. The artist’s signature color transitions — from cool blues symbolizing water and veins to the fiery reds and oranges of dry earth — evoke both struggle and harmony among the natural elements. The varnish enhances depth and luminosity, sealing the pastels while preserving their vibrant energy.

Dimensions: 45 × 35 cm (image), framed and ready to hang.
Medium: Oil pastels on heavy textured paper, finished with archival varnish.
Condition: Original work, signed front and back.

Price £450

Artist’s Statement

“This work speaks of connection — between people, between humanity and nature. The two hands represent both creation and responsibility. The flower that grows between them is fragile, but it is also proof that even in arid times, life can emerge if we act together.”