Jenny Wheatley (b. 1959) is a renowned British painter celebrated for her vibrant, expressive works in oil, acrylic, and watercolour. A graduate of West Surrey College of Art and Design, Wheatley has built a distinguished career defined by a bold use of colour, dynamic composition, and a unique synthesis of memory, place, and imagination.
Early recognition came with the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshield Foundation Award in 1983, which enabled her to travel across Europe and spend a year painting in Cyprus. This marked the beginning of a lifelong exploration of global cultures and landscapes. In 1987 and 1988, she undertook significant sponsored journeys—spending five weeks embedded with the joint British/Indian army through Kashmir and Ladakh, followed by six months living and painting aboard working cargo ships across Polynesia.
These immersive travel experiences remain central to her practice. Working directly on location to gather visual studies, Wheatley later reinterprets these impressions in her studio, layering memory, atmosphere, and emotion to evoke a deep "sense of place." Her richly patterned surfaces—alive with colour and rhythm—offer a sophisticated, often playful response to her subject matter.
Elected to the New English Art Club (NEAC) in 1983 and the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) in 1984, Wheatley continues to exhibit widely in the UK and internationally. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections, admired for its energy, narrative, and powerful visual language.