Nel Whatmore

Nel Whatmore is a Sunny Bank Mills studio holder, and has been a professional artist for over thirty years.

“Being able to go for walks has been a life saver for so many during the pandemic and was often one of the highlights of our day. I’ve always loved trees but the more we discover about trees and how they communicate with each other, through the mycelium in their root systems, the more amazing they seem.

These are tree portraits, really, that combine my love of trees with my current fascination with the Tonalism art movement and the challenge to really focus and explore the atmosphere in a landscape. The power of subtle changes in colour to convey emotions and a sense of stillness and calm particularly interests me. It reflects one of the more positive aspects of all that we have been through recently, ie the importance of pausing to really look at all we do and ask whether there is more or less that we could be doing to live more contented lives.”

“As part of ‘Drawn from the Land’, I have included a taste of the florals I produced while shielding at home as they form part of my visual diary of my garden . It gave me the opportunity to really study all the plants right in front of me everyday. This is a practise that I’m continuing throughout the year.”