Ripped, layered and interwoven with painted string, the finished paintings bear testament to their production, retaining traces of the artist's actions and the energetic, physical movements through which she produces each piece. Protruding cheesecloth, dense drips of paint and thickly woven string emerge and disappear into the canvas – the physical additions of the creative act – while torn edges and traces of cloth that has been removed take on a gestural absence – the creative act embodied in negative space.
While referred to as having a ‘front’ (recto) and a ‘back’ (verso), Nelson works on both sides of the canvas repeatedly and in tandem, denying the priority traditionally given to the canvas's ‘front’. Engaging in ongoing acts of intervention, reception and further manipulation, she paints in direct conversation with her materials. Considering herself in dialogue with her work, Nelson rejects the hierarchy of the ruling artist in favour of a participatory process, born from the fundamental belief that all materials have an innate and unique energy to which she responds: ‘Once I see the character of the painting, I get excited, and then what I have to do to finish the painting becomes clear to me. I follow the painting until its character completely emerges from the shadows.’

Rich in depth and texture, the finished works are often exhibited on floor-based steel or wooden constructions instead of hanging flat against the wall, which invites a novel way of viewing by encouraging visitors to walk around the paintings in order to experience them in full.
It makes the mental, physical. It asserts vision through the body. You need more effort as a viewer. You cannot be passive. – Dona Nelson