Her paintings result from her varied processes of staining, soaking, painting, and stretching the canvas until she decides which side is the front and which side is the back. Nelson often incorporates unconventional materials, such as cheesecloth, modeling paste, or strips of painted fabric or painted string to the work to add textural elements to her paintings. Born in Grand Island, Nebraska, Nelson moved to New York City in 1967 to participate in the newly formed Whitney Independent Study Program. In the following decades, she significantly influenced the direction of abstract painting in the New York art scene.