Born in 1959 in Nineva, Northern Iraq, Nael spent much of his childhood studying and drawing animals, birds and people. In 1989, he graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee with a First Class Honours Degree in Fine Art. Nael studied in Florence, having been awarded The Royal Scottish Academy John Kinross Scholarship, before returning to Dundee and the rural Angus countryside where he made his home. He has won a number of awards and exhibited in many countries and is a regular exhibitor at the RGI, RSA, SSA and SSAC annual shows. His works are included within major Public and Private Collections worldwide.

He continues to be inspired by his deep love of nature, and his fascination with the elements so dramatically displayed within the Scottish landscape and its coastlines.