Nel Whatmore - Life Is a Minestrone Exhibition

We first met Nel Whatmore at the 2011 Festival of Quilts at the NEC in Birmingham with her fabric range designed for the Coats/Freespirit Brand (Rowan) - a very talented artist and designer who is a great fun to work with too!  

Nel Whatmore with Lisa Lam and Melissa White at 2011 Festival of Quilts Designers Supper

Her art works have only more recently been produced on fabric - Nel has been painting and producing stunning florals, landscapes and abstracts for many years and these have been used for licensed products as well as being sold as originals and prints. Her exhibition at Chelsea won Nel an award - the great news is that this year is her 25th Year Celebration and from 21-24th April 2012 you can see her exhibition at The Priory, Wetherby, Yorkshire (details below).

We hope that you can make it - here's your invite - just visit Nel's Page for more information,

Internationally known artist and designer , Nel Whatmore, is Celebrating her 25th Year as an artist by having a one woman show called “Life is a Minestrone.”

Nel has always produced a variety of work from abstracts to landscapes to florals. As an award winning exhibitor at Chelsea Flower Show many of her flower paintings are now inspired by her visits to the show each year.

When thinking of a theme for the show Nel says  
“In my work I seek to convey life in all it’s variety, both through subject matter colour and also emotion. So ‘Life is A Minestrone” baby!

It will be held at ,The Priory, Syningthwaite Home Farm,Wighill Park, Wetherby, North Yorkshire LS24 8BL

On the 21st-24th April. Preview 21st April 2-7pm

As well as the main exhibition just for fun there will be a display of works including the first picture she ever sold aged 6 (!) , Bonzo the gorilla, Geoffrey the giraffe and other unexpected things.

Nel, became a professional artist with the help of the Princes Trust, and was invited last year to Clarence House as part of the Trusts 35 th Year celebrations, where she presented HRH the Prince of Wales with one of her original painting called Devoted to You.

She started her business from very small beginning working in a bedsit in
Headingley and selling her paintings at Art Fairs and Markets in Leeds and
Wakefield. Her work can now been seen all over the world in the form of Limited Edition prints , ceramics and stationery. 

In recent years she has also been asked to design fabric for Coats/Freespirit Brand. Her first fabric collection ‘Happy Go Lucky’ featured at the International Quilt Festival in Birmingham, where she was a guest designer along with Kaffe Fassett. Her latest range Sleeping Beauty will also be on display at the show.