The Grey Reign: On Persistence, Anxiety, and the Art of Finishing

Laura Bernardeschi Nelson announces the release of her new book, The Grey Reign, which features dystopian short stories reflecting themes of control and resilience. Despite facing anxiety and mental fatigue during its creation, she emphasizes the importance of perseverance and creativity even amidst personal challenges. The book is available in English and Italian.

Flight Over Quiet Hills

Laura Bernardeschi Nelson’s artwork employs oil pastels to evoke landscapes that blend memory and emotion rather than depict specific places. Each piece presents a moment of stillness and movement, characterized by textured layers and vibrant colors, inviting introspection and a connection to nature’s shifting essence.

Medusa and the Great Solar Underwear Theory: A Study in Domestic Absurdity

In a satirical narrative by Laura Bernardeschi Nelson, Medusa lives in a constricting environment, meticulously arranging her mundane collection of white underwear on a laundry line, which she mistakenly views as art. Surrounded by lifeless trees and watched by intelligent chickens, she embodies a life of mediocrity while obliviously becoming her own artwork.

The Waiting

In the Grey Kingdom’s final chapter, creatures gather in silence, awaiting the absent vixen. Tension builds among the rats, while the boar, weasel, and others hold their positions. As time passes without action or arrival, a profound change occurs: for the first time, nothing needs adjustment, yet this emptiness proves unsatisfactory.

The Creature of the White Laundry

In the Grey Kingdom garden, a creature meticulously arranges pale garments under the sun, believing cleanliness must be displayed. Nearby, rats, sheep, and a magpie observe. One day, a forceful wind scatters the garments, prompting a hen to question their ownership. Ultimately, the garden returns to stillness, now less cluttered.

The Vixen and the Feast of Shadows

In the Kingdom of Rats, a Vixen navigates through a web of deceit, contrasting with creatures like the cunning Weasel and the heavy Boar. While the Weasel subtly disrupts order, the Vixen remains largely unaffected, ultimately choosing silence. Her absence, marked by a soft light, signifies her detachment from a hollow existence, unsettling the others profoundly.

The Keeper

by Laura Bernardeschi Nelson In the Grey Clearing, the fog was not made of mist but of unfinished thoughts and swallowed words. It lingered low, heavy and unmoving, as if the place itself had forgotten how to breathe. At the centre of this stillness lived the Weasel. She was small, precise, and always slightly damp,ContinueContinue reading “The Keeper”

Storm Within

Laura Bernardeschi Nelson’s 2026 artwork, “Eye of the Storm Within,” uses oil pastels to depict a spiraling vortex of turquoise, teal, and white. At the center lies a fragmented dark form, symbolizing vulnerability and resilience. The piece emphasizes movement and emotion, balancing abstraction with symbolism to explore inner experiences amidst chaos.

Stillness

“Winds Over Quiet Water” by Laura Bernardeschi Nelson features a peaceful landscape captured through dynamic blue and white strokes. The composition reflects a serene balance between an expressive sky and a grounded earth/water merge. Created in oil pastels, it invites contemplation of nature’s quiet interplay. Sized at 45 × 35 cm and varnished for depth.

The Mud Dance

In Laura Bernardeschi Nelson’s short story, “The Vixen,” a cunning fox observes chaotic interactions among various characters across a muddy riverbank. The Sheep, Crow, Hippopotamus, Rats, Pug, and Badger each embody futile efforts to gain control, while the Vixen remains unaffected, ultimately leaping into the trees as the cycle of chaos continues.