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Nel Whatmore was born in Wombourne in 1962, near Wolverhampton in England. She studied art at
Wolverhampton Polytechnic and then completed her degree in Leeds in 1985. While at college she met her
husband, the writer Mark Morris.
With the help of
The Prince of Wales' Youth Business Trust she became a professional artist in 1986. It was through her
relationship with the Trust that Nel went on to exhibit widely around the United Kingdom at venues such
as the Albert Docks in Liverpool, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham and the Chelsea
Flower Show in London. It was while at the NEC that she met Brian Ling of Ling Cards Ltd. and also
contacted Washington Green Fine Art Publishers.
Nel's work was
reproduced as a range of greetings cards by Ling's exclusively for many years and she became one of
their best selling artists. Similarly, Nel's association with Washington Green has generated enormous
interest in her work particularly since her work has developed along a more contemporary vein.
Nel and Mark now
have two children, and have recently moved from Boston Spa to the town of Tadcaster in North Yorkshire.
She paints in a 200 year old Granary that has very thick stone walls, and finds this ideal as she likes
to play her music very loud!
"Music plays an
integral part in my painting. I find it focuses my mind and allows me to feel truly inspired. I am
frequently asked what sort of music I listen to while I paint. I do play a variety of music, but
generally anything with a lot of soul, or that makes you want to dance. Although, when I am painting
landscapes the music has to be more expansive and emotional so I usually listen to something classical.
The main reason I
paint is because I feel a strong compulsion to do so. I love colour and there are some colours that just
make your heart sing, they have an energy and an ability to lighten the heart."~ Nel ~
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