Nel Whatmore

Nel Whatmore's studio is a 200 year old granary only 5 minutes from her house in Leeds. Music and colour form an integral part of Nel's work. The former she finds focuses her mund; the latter is her main inspiration.

"I am often asked what inspires me to paint or do I have to wait to see if the mood takes me? The answer to the first question is  that it varies enormously, from little incidental things such as seeing three unusual colours together, to the first tulips, someone's face or an early morning sky. What they all have in common is beauty and an ability to raise the spirits. I have a compulsion to portray that. To make another human being stop and stare. Different subject matters attract different people and that fascinates me too.

After studying for a Foundation Course in Art & Design at Wolverhampton University, I then went on to study for a Bachelor of Arts Degree at Trinity And All Saints College, Leeds from 1982 - 1985. Shortly afterwards, in 1986, I was awarded a grant from the 'Princes Youth Business Trust' and was one of the few people chosen to represent the 'Princes Youth Business Trust' at the Chelsea Flower Show in 1990.