Laurel Hausler

I was born in the DC suburbs in 1977. I chose not to pursue formal art training, choosing instead to create intuition-based images after an inspiring move to New Orleans. The haunted beauty of that city provided a framework for my aesthetic, underscoring the importance of spirituality and magic.

Stints at Catholic school, alternating periods of excess and introversion, and a love of history provided a base of imagery that contributes to the language of my work.

When I began painting in oil, I had no idea how to manipulate the medium. I'd end up with undelineated smears of color. I began to read faces into the blurry ethereality of the paint. Although my paintings are now more planned, I continue to find my faces in the oil paint. At times a long, tedious process, I often don't find the face until I scrape away and re-add many layers.

Each painting has a face and each painting, a story. An idea for either can come first. The "story" can be a strange history, an emotion, a fable, a crime, or an everyday awkward exchange. I prefer to let the viewer determine his or her own story in each scenario.

My paintings and sculpture define themselves until they encapsulate a frame of mind. By placing everyday emotions into these mysterious tableaux, I am more able to understand, control, and transform that in life which is frightening and unknown.