A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, Nel now resides in Mountain Center, California where she paints full time. She received her BFA and MFA degrees from the University of Utah and was an Assistant Professor in the College of Fine Arts for eight years.
Her work is exhibited widely in California, Utah and in several corporate and private collections in the US.
Nel is represented by Studio Gallery 2485 in Palm Springs, California, and Phillips Gallery in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is also a member of Connecting-Art, a group of twelve international artists who met at the Florence Biennale in 2003 and have since exhibited their work together in several global venues. In 2006, Dr. Thalia Vrachopoulos curated their exhibit, "Connecting People, Connecting Cultures" at the United Nations building in New York City.