Lorraine Bowley

My work explores memory, identity and the traces of lives that remain through objects, photographs and fragments of the past. Working primarily with collage and mixed media, I build layered surfaces using vintage ephemera, found papers, paint, texture and black-and-white photographs.

Layering is central to my practice. Images are partially hidden, revealed, torn and reassembled, allowing different histories and narratives to sit alongside one another. I am particularly drawn to old photographs and discarded materials because they already carry a sense of time, memory and human connection. Through combining these fragments, I create new relationships between people, places and moments.

Alongside my own creative practice, I work full-time as an Art and Design teacher. Teaching and making are closely connected; the constant exploration of artists, materials and processes within the classroom continually feeds my own curiosity and experimentation. My work becomes a personal space for reflection, storytelling and creative discovery.