Preview LAUREL HAUSLER’s “Ghost Stories” – New Work

GHOST STORIES A solo exhibition of new artwork by LAUREL HAUSLER November 8th, 2013 – November 29th, 2013 EXHIBITION LOCATION Morton Fine Art (MFA) 1781 Florida Ave NW (at 18th & U Sts) Washington, DC 20009 HOURS   Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm Sunday 12pm-5pm About  Ghost Stories:   To create her newest body of work, Laurel Hausler worked with oil, wax, spray paint, fiber, resin, rust, bleached velvet and other unusual material.  The result of her mixing unconventional mediums is a rich and highly textured artwork surface. In her solo exhibition, Ghost Stories, her imagery is inspired by unsolved mysteries of Old Hollywood, 19th century spirit photography, and ghost stories in literature and film. Belying the dark beauty of the paintings is a sense of optimism for the perseverance of spirit and remembrance of characters otherwise fading into obscurity. Hausler portrays these “ghosts” in her paintings as they come to life through repeated addition and removal of material and pigment. The result leaves them enshrouded in many layers;  relics, like mosquitoes encased in amber. About LAUREL HAUSLER: A Washington, DC native, Laurel Hausler’s love of literature, antiquity and the obscure inspire the stories behind her work.  Working in a subtractive and additive process, she first covers the surface of her paper or canvas with multiple layers of paint, and then removes the layers to reveal the subject, only to then veil it with resin or wax. Admired for resisting a self-conscious approach to process, Hausler reveals lines, scratches, rips and gestures on her surfaces that demonstrate her decision-making process through the work’s evolution to its finished state. Anima Sola, wax paper oil mixed media on cradled panel, 48″x36″ Blue Marilyn, mixed media on paper, 42″x40″ Debutante, oil, wax, rusted silk, acrylic, spray paint on panel, 48″x36″ Dorothy, watercolor on paper, 57″x56″ Emily, bleach on velvet, 30″x24″ Spirit Photo #1, bleached fabric and wax on panel,40″x40″ Red Horizons, oil, acrylic, ink, fabric, bleach on panel, 30″x40″ The Seekers, oil and resin on canvas, 48″x48″ Shirley Ann, oil, spray paint, wax, fabric on wood, 36″x36″ Silhouette, mixed media on canvas, 30″x30″ Spirit Photo #4, oil and ink on canvas, 48″x30″ Spirit Photo #2 bleached fabric on panel, 48″x36″ Spirit Photo #3, bleached fabric on panel, 36×36″