Welcome to my website Artist's Statement I have spent most of my life as a scientist, and have been a physician for over twenty years. During much of my medical career I used meditation and guided imagery with patients to discover the roots of their pain and illness. In this work, as in my own personal work, I began to recognize parallels to the larger world. I came to realize that the true illness of the human race needs something other than medicine or surgery. I began working in clay about ten years ago, mostly independently in my home, taking occasional workshops and classes at the community college. About five years ago I began working in stone, as a student of Amana Johnson. Clay comes from rivers, and to me it seems to carry with it the quick movement and emotional impact of running water. A major theme of my clay work is an ongoing study on the role of trauma in distorting human identity and relationships, and in creating denial states which lead to profoundly self-destructive behaviors. Stone, carried from the mountains, reminds me of the universal and eternal, what is noble in humanity despite all betrayals, that which links us to the stars. I believe that we must break free of denial and bear witness to our own and one another's pain. We must do so holding in our hearts our connection to the stars, the mountains, the vast larger world within which we live, the unimaginable beauty in which we participate. How else can we heal the world and have hope for a future as a species? All images in this site are Copyright © 2002 by Lorraine Bonner. Permitted use is limited to personal electronic display on a World Wide Web browser. For any other use, the artist's permission must be obtained. Please contact her at handinearth@yahoo.com for further details.