Molly Zuckerman-Hartung
Molly Zuckerman-Hartung is an American painter whose abstractions combine commercial paints with cut fabric, sewn supports, paper, and studio materials.
Painter
Dona Nelson
Dona Nelson is an American painter who builds two-sided acrylic canvases with poured color, stitched string, dyed fabric, and paint seepage.
Dona Nelson quick facts
Nelson's two-sided works use fluid acrylic, gel masking, and stitched string to create images on both faces of canvas through seepage and layering.
| Born | 1947 · Grand Island, Nebraska, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | — |
| Nationality | American |
| Movements | — |
| Paint types | Acrylic paint · Oil paint |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas (including untreated cloth); applied dyed cheesecloth and muslin |
| Painting methods | Pouring and staining fluid acrylic through canvas, blocking areas with gel medium, scraping paint, and stitching painted thread through both sides |
| Common subjects | Process-driven abstraction, saturated color, staining, textures, woven structure, and compositions viewed from both sides |
| Other materials | Acrylic gel, dyed cheesecloth, muslin, painted string, charcoal, and freestanding steel supports |
| Notable works | Okie Dokie (2008) · String Beings (2013) · Bells (2017) · Daily News (1983) |
Sources: Whitney Museum: birthplace, Okie Dokie and double-sided technique, Whitney Museum: paint, dye, string and charcoal process, Whitney Museum: String Beings and threaded canvas, Artist statement: acrylic staining, gel masking and canvas absorption, Carnegie Museum: Bells, acrylic, cheesecloth and tar gel, Metropolitan Museum: Daily News, oil on canvas, and Thomas Erben Gallery: materials and two-sided work catalogue.
Paint types used by Dona Nelson
Nelson’s earlier oils on canvas gave way to acrylic works with cheesecloth and other materials, while fabric surfaces support her two-sided compositions.
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Acrylic paint
Carnegie Museum records Nelson’s Bells as acrylic with cheesecloth and tar gel. These components contribute different textures but are not additional paint binders. Nelson’s acrylic works often use porous textile layers, where staining and painting can continue across both sides of the fabric.
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Oil paint
The Met records oil on canvas in Nelson’s earlier painting Daily News. This work documents a distinct medium from the acrylic and fabric constructions she developed later. The object record identifies oil and canvas directly, situating it within an earlier part of her practice.
Sources: Carnegie Museum: Bells, The Met: Daily News, Whitney: Dona Nelson and double-sided canvases.
Painting surfaces used by Dona Nelson
Collection records document canvas and fabric in Dona Nelson’s practice, and each row links a support to a named object and its recorded materials.
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Canvas
Nelson paints on canvas, including untreated cloth that absorbs acrylic staining and supports work on both sides. Whitney collection records document these stretched, sometimes unprimed surfaces. The approach differs from conventional one-sided painting on prepared canvas because the weave and reverse remain visible parts of the work.
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Fabric (cheesecloth and muslin)
Nelson incorporates dyed cheesecloth and muslin into her paintings, layering porous fabrics as both image-bearing surfaces and structural elements. Whitney records and Carnegie’s Bells document this material practice. The loose weave distinguishes these supports from standard canvas and lets paint and fabric remain visibly interdependent.
Sources: Whitney Museum: birthplace, Okie Dokie and double-sided technique, Whitney Museum: paint, dye, string and charcoal process, Whitney Museum: String Beings and threaded canvas, Artist statement: acrylic staining, gel masking and canvas absorption, Carnegie Museum: Bells, acrylic, cheesecloth and tar gel.
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