A leading figure in the Canadian Maritime Craft Renaissance of the 1970s, Nel Oudemans’ personal journey to artistic excellence was marked by determination in the face of great adversity. Born in The Hague, Oudemans dedicated her early years to study. She was classically trained as a tapestry weaver and embroiderer at the prestigious Sāterglāntan Weaving School in Sweden and the Karen Prestard Studio in Heidel, Norway. The Nazi occupation of her homeland demanded great personal sacrifice and her artistic career was interrupted by the upheaval of World War II. In 1947, she and her husband left war ravaged Europe to embrace an uncertain future in Canada. Settling in Fredericton with her husband, Jack, Oudemans devoted herself to raising a young family but quickly became a noted resource in the artistic community.