Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint is a fast-drying, water-based paint made with pigment and an acrylic polymer binder. It is widely used in art and decorative projects because it is versatile and durable.
Painter
Dona Nelson
Dona Nelson is an American painter known for two-sided acrylic canvases made with poured color, stitched string, dyed fabric, and paint bleeding through raw cloth.
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 (documented early paintings) |
| 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
Acrylic paint is central to Nelson's two-sided stain paintings, while oil appears in earlier canvases; gels control how watery color moves through cloth.
Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying paint made with pigment and a drying oil binder. It is widely used for artwork because it blends smoothly and develops rich color.
Surface types used
Untreated canvas serves as both the image support and a porous pathway for color, with dyed fabric and painted threads altering its two visible faces.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric used as a flexible support for painting. Artist canvas is commonly made from cotton or linen and sold either raw or coated with a ground layer.
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