Autumn Sneak Preview!

Lovely inspiration form Daisy Chain florist in Leeds thank you so much! Berry Berry original will be at Chantry House. Preview starts tomorrow 11am-5pm 21st Nov

Well there is lots of work, beautifully framed by Andy up at Chantry House for the show . I will enjoy my next three saturdays up there. Escaping Christmas shopping!!

I love the autumn , the light, the colours. So have been feeling very inspired. Coupled with the fact that I will be moving into a new studio on Dec 1st everything is rather exciting Yeah! I have a white box awaiting with absolutely nothing in it! Sometimes I feel I have so many many things in my head that I will not ever get them all painted.

I am awaiting the second strike offs of the Westminster Fibre collection of fabrics. I can't wait to see them ,they do such a lovely job. Helen and I have been working hard also designing a whole giftware range for Enesco. The mirror votives and candles are just going to be great. I'll hopefully put them into The Little Gift Shop so you can all get them from there rather than having to hunt for them.

I plan to do various shows next year and also to produce a really lovely catalogue of my work which I have never done before. So lots going on as ever . Not to mention Christmas of course. If anyone else says to me they just have to WRAP not BUY ...WRAP their last present I may just scream VERY VERY LOUDLY! Naturally I am envious and probably very disorganised as you would think I would learn as I have the same scenario every year! But no every year there is always too much OTHER STUFF to do to even contemplate buying baubles in January or a little something for great Aunt Floss on my holiday! When I am on my holiday I am just that ..on my holiday.. I don't send postcards to make those who are not fed up that I am on mine nor do I think about Christmas when I am floating in a pool. I guess I am just that kind of woman who does what ever needs doing when it arrives. Not before and sometimes now only after ..as I forget. I am how ever enjoying every day! See you soon.

Fabulous Show! London 2010

Just got back from Brand Licensing Show in London. Rubbing shoulders with Batman,Dr Who and the Royal Ballet!!! Great two days. The new stand worked really well and we just loved all the product that all of our licensees sent. Thank you all so much! Here are a few picis. 

 We are also launching Nel's Little Gift Shop next week so you will be able to buy products directly from us at http://www.nelwhatmore.com . Thanks Black orange for doing a great job again with the website.

Landscapes here we go!

Tomorrow I am going to start a series of landscape paintings. Last night the sky was stunning, so stunning in fact I had to pull into a lay'by on my way to Harrogate and get a complete stranger to email  me the pictures he was taking of the sunset. Fortunately he did, as my own camera had run out of battery. Why does that always happen always but always!

So thank you to Ben in the lay'by. Lets see if I produce anything of worth.

 Food is calling, and light is fading. So to tomorrow!

Hot hot hot!

Well the temperature has been rising steadily in the last few months and my studio is now officially boiling after 2pm! It's a bit like painting in a sauna but with your clothes on..well some clothes on at least!

 Why is it that January and February goes really sloooowwwly and then from March to July we set of wit a gallop and then as soon as you sit down for a rest it's Christmas? School holidays are nearly upon us so I find myself racing around like a headless chicken trying to get all and sundry sorted before schools out. The kids have so much on, the garden seems to think it's amusing to grow weeds like they were going out of fashion and I have grown more potatoes than I know what to do with . So famine or feast on all fronts!

Painting in these moments becomes an activity that offers me calm and solace . A time for myself, a pause for thought and a time to reflect. I have various lovely projects on the go from painting much larger than I have ever done to designing mugs and lots of new exciting products.

Happy in the Sunshine

Well like most of us we have been enjoying the good weather I have been painting outside and  trying when ever possible to be  in the garden. It is the last few weeks before Chelsea and also Surtex in New York . My agent Mary Mc Carty will be standing at the show and meeting with lots of customers...so sorry that Helen and I will not be over to see you all this time but hope you have a  great time seeing Mary. We are sending her a Chelsea preview of all the work that will be on show in London. 

So here are some photos of our garden which looks so lovely in Spring. We have been updating both the licensing site and the Original and print sites. So there is lots of new things to see and also the possibility of being sent free tickets for Chelsea and also the Ripley show! Go to www.nelwhatmore.com and www.nellicensing.com

Well lunch is calling and also painting so all for now. 

Tulips are out and Sun is Shining! New York and London shows in May!

The Best things in Life are Free!

Well at last I have a little time to write , on Mother's day actually! Which I have spent the best part of digging and planting fruit bushes. It's so nice to be outside and for the season to be turning. The daffodils are out and everyone breaths a sigh of relief . Flowers always mark the passage of time I feel with  the first snow drops , we saw a wonderful bank of them when we were up at Richmond the other week.

Well I have been painting fervently and experimenting and as always trying to learn more and so i have returned to abstract painting as well as having Chelsea still upper most in my mind. So here are few things that are either works in progress of finished. But then is a painting ever really finished!. Usually when it is framed there is always something that you look at and think that you would do it differently next time, but that makes you start again. I once read an article about the never ending question 'What is art?'. One contributor said it is simple the thing that makes us climb the stairs to paint every day... it's that compulsion to create.

 I adore abstract painting there is something very freeing about it, and I have not done it for a while. So this week I have realised that I have missed it a lot. Here is a detail from the very large piece you can see at the top of this entry.

 We have finally finished the new licensing site if you would like to go and have a look , it has taken quite a lot of my time but it now hopefully will be much easier for licensing customers to use it also gives news of new products that are out there.www.nellicensing.com.We are also thinking of having more products available to buy on line one the originals site ,as the  calendars and Reason to Be poetry books have done so well. So I will let you know when there is more news on that front. So lets hope the sunshine continues this week as we all need it. 

Chelsea Flower Show 2009

Hi , well having been to London for half term I missed my blog update,but hey can't do everything. I've just heard That I have got into Chelsea Flower Show again which is great! So I'm starting to think about my stand and how to display work etc. 

 My studio is getting too small as I seem to want to paint larger and larger paintings! I wonder if I will have enough time to paint all the paintings I have in my head...probably not!

We have been updating the licensing site and it now looks great. If anyone hasn't seen it go to www.nellicensing.com. Well it's friday night and food is calling or rather needs to be made so have a great week. Picis to follow later. 

Nel's first Blog!

Hi I thought I would start blogging as I love hearing from customers and fellow painters and thought it would be good to keep a weekly diary of my painting. So here goes! I will be learning as I go so expect this blog to change colour etc as I learn what to do!! love Nel