by Laura Bernardeschi Nelson

Artwork Description

Becoming the Forest by Laura Bernardeschi Nelson

35.0 x 45.0 cm

Becoming the Forest Medium: Oil pastels on paper Size: 45 × 35 cm Presentation: Framed, varnished, signed artist Laura Bernardeschi Nelson In my ongoing journey of exploring the relationship between humanity and the natural world, Becoming the Forest emerged as one of the quietest, most intimate pieces I have created. While some works in my Climate Change Collection confront environmental loss head-on, this piece approaches the same theme in a softer way — through serenity, innocence, and connection. This artwork is an oil pastel portrait of a young Mother Nature resting within the landscape that forms her body. Her hair dissolves into vines; her breathing seems to rhythmically move with leaves and branches; her sense of peace radiates outward as though the forest itself is exhaling with her. The boundaries between figure and nature fade, reminding us that we are not separate entities living beside the natural world — we are woven into it. Although Becoming the Forest carries no drama or destruction, it still belongs firmly within my climate-focused body of work. Its calmness is precisely the point. It holds up a vision of harmony — a moment of unity that climate change is steadily threatening to erase. In this sense, the portrait becomes a memory of what balance feels like, a reminder of what is worth protecting, and an invitation to pause and reconnect with the natural rhythms surrounding us. In my Climate Change Collection, I explore a wide spectrum of environmental emotions: grief, warning, transformation, resilience, and hope. Becoming the Forest sits among the hopeful pieces. It reflects the beauty that survives, the gentleness that nature still carries, and the possibility that harmony can be restored if we choose to honour our planet.

Artwork Details

Medium: Painting Pastel

Genre: Expressionism