Heavily influenced by the limits imposed in Catholic school and by a general love of history, Laurel Hausler’s paintings and constructions are a pastiche of beloved works of literature, movies, admired artists, observations from everyday life and strange nuances in history. She has forgone formal training in favor of developing her own style, which combines collage, assemblage, drawing and painting in a wide variety of media including oil paint, paper, pencil, ink, wax, coffee, natural materials and found objects.

For Hausler, the world is comprised of darkness and light, and she strives to reflect both in her work. Her characters generally inhabit the world of the dead or soon-to-be-dead, but her stories are more poignant and cheeky than macabre. Guided by her choice of medium and personal vision, Hausler finds that the figures in her paintings often seem to push forth their own stories—a phenomenon she calls "something of a mystery".

She has exhibited broadly in the Eastern United States, from Vermont to New Orleans. Her work has been featured in a number of press pieces, including recent features in Washington's Examiner newspaper and the popular DCist blog.

Hausler lives and paints just outside Washington, DC.