Brooke Burton is an artist and photographer working in Boise, Idaho whose work tells psychological stories through narrative still life. She earned an MFA and a BFA, both in photography from Boise State University where she has taught as an adjunct professor. She interviewed over 80 artists and documented their studios for the Boise City Department of Arts & History blog: Creators, Makers, & Doers. Her work has been exhibited at the former Society for Contemporary Photography in Kansas City, Missouri, the Allied Arts Association in Richland, Washington, and Western Washington University. Burton's photographs are in the permanent collection of the Boise Art Museum and the Boise City Department of Arts & History.
Statement
I use photography to create implied narratives. My still lifes are visual manifestations of my internal thoughts and feelings, much like a diary. I use inanimate objects as actors on a stage to perform small plays. In these stories, I unravel the psychology of my closest relationships, face my conflicted feelings around being an artist, and ultimately, try to understand where I fit in. Creating order with these tiny figures gives me a sense of calm amidst emotional unrest.
I use many photographic processes: iPhone pics, Fujifilm Instax prints, digital, and silver gelatin paper negatives made with my 8x10 view camera; often using one method to document the other. I am inspired by artists who create film-like scenes such as Cindy Sherman, Gregory Crewdson, and Jen Blackmon; still life photographer Laura Letinsky; and the stillness and order of early Netherlandish paintings such as the Annunciation Triptych, Robert Campin, ca 1427-32.