American photographer and artist, Laura Burlton, is best known for her whimsical and beautifully executed photographs of children immersed in playful chalk drawings of her own creation. Invoking fairytales, surreal scenes and dreamscapes, she invites the viewer to immerse themselves into a word of darkness and mystery of her own making. Burlton’s images draw reference from archetypes new and old, including Greek icons, traveling circus imagery, and modern-day fashion photography. In her practice she uses humble costumes, masks, dramatic lighting and a host of antiquated and modern photographic techniques to elevate her subjects to a mysterious and otherworldly existence. Whether staged in vignettes of her own making or on simple backgrounds, her subjects are painted in lush colors or gilded and bejeweled allegories of the artist's own imagination, drawing the viewer in.

Burlton has been a part of the Houston Center for Photography teaching staff since 2012. She has taught everything from digital photography foundations and image processing to alternative and antique processes. Burlton established her studio at the Hardy and Nance Studios, Houston in 2014. Her work was exhibited in galleries in Houston, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Toronto, San Miguel de Allende, Germany, and Spain and is a part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Web: www.lauraburlton.com ; IG: @chalk_dreams and @Houston_tintype_studio

Courses & Workshops:
Photography I
Photography II
Digital Camera Basics
Digital Lab Crash Course
Fine Art Printing
Digital Negatives and Cyanotypes
Photography Basics (Teens)
Pinhole Photography
Intermediate Photography (Teens)
Mixed Media Photography Lab (Teens)