George Laurence Nelson (1887 - 1978), born in New Rochelle, New York, was a prolific painter of portraits, landscapes, and still-lifes such as Orchid, Freesia, and Rose. He is known for his use of color, having rejected the somber palettes of his previous instructors from the Beaux Arts and Academie Julian. His chosen shades may very well have also been influenced by the palettes of his Impressionist contemporaries, but he retained a dependency on strictly outlined forms. He formed a creative, personal style by successfully combining these two elements.

Nelson lived a good part of his life in Kent, Connecticut, maintaining a studio there throughout his career. He left his studio and works to the Kent Art Association after his death in 1978.