LiveMindfuLee

Walking into a room with a Sandra Bowden piece on the wall is a little like finding a Bible you can touch, the pages are textured, the words are layered, and the light seems to come from inside the work itself. For women who have survived abuse and carry the small, heavy things that never quite fit into words, Bowden’s art offers something tender and concrete: an invitation to rest, remember, and be remade by God’s story.

Sandra Bowden is a mixed-media painter, printmaker, collector, and curator who has spent four decades making Scripture and sacred memory both visible and tactile through collage, encaustic, gold leaf, and ancient text motifs. Her pieces often layer Hebrew lettering, fragments of musical scores, architectural motifs, and patinas that feel timeworn, in other words, she builds pulsing, quiet shrines out of paint and paper. This “visual theology” has been exhibited widely and is the heart of Bowden’s traveling Bowden Collections, which bring curated exhibitions to churches, museums, and colleges.

Why her art feels safe for a wounded heart

If you’ve been through abuse, “safe” can feel like a foreign word. Bowden’s work creates safety by doing three simple things well:

1. It names and keeps memory. Her collages often incorporate fragments of ancient texts and artifacts—like shards from biblical stories—so your own story of survival is held alongside the grand, communal memory of faith. The effect is: your small, painful chapter is not erased; it’s woven into the larger story of redemption.
2. It is tactile and slow. The visible layers—gold leaf, encaustic surfaces, textured prints—invite you to linger. For many survivors, rushing through feelings has been a survival skill; Bowden’s slow art gives permission to slow down and breathe.
3. It points to a gentle, steadfast God. Her subject matter—Psalm texts, images of the Good Shepherd, crucifixion meditations—doesn’t gloss over suffering. Instead, it locates suffering inside a faith that promises presence and repair. The result is not trite optimism but a careful, honest hope.

A few works to meet first

• Psalm XXIII A mixed collagraph that weaves Hebrew text with images of the shepherd and musical references, inviting reflection on care and guidance. Seeing this can be like hearing a lullaby for an exhausted soul. Check it out at – Sandra Bowden Studios
• It Is Finished From her Passion series, this work layers materials and text to make the weight of suffering visible while pointing to completion and hope. It’s a reminder that wounds are part of the gospel story, not outside it. See it here at – Sandra Bowden Studios
• Masada (and other archaeological/relic-inspired pieces) These pieces marry landscape, ruin, and artifact to show how beauty persists even where time and trauma have worn things away. Check it out now at – Sandra Bowden Studios

(You can view images and purchase limited editions or prints on her studio site and through Bowden Collections listings.)

How to use Bowden’s art as part of healing

Here are gentle, practical ways to let her art be a companion on your healing path:

• Create a small viewing ritual. Put on a quiet playlist, make a cup of tea, and sit with a single work for 10-15 minutes. Notice what colors, textures, or words catch your breath. What bible verse came to mind? Write one line about what you felt.
• Journal from the piece. Choose a phrase from the artwork (or its title) and free write for five minutes. No editing, just spill whatever comes. Survivors often find that art gives permission for feelings that haven’t had a voice.
• Pray with the layers. Bowden’s work is layered like our lives. Pray through the layers: for what is broken, for what is being held, for what glimmers of beauty remain.
• Bring a friend or a small group. Looking together and sharing one short reflection each can be deeply affirming, especially when trust is rebuilt in gentle, measured steps.

Where to see her work (and why the exhibitions matter)

Bowden’s pieces are shown through her studio site and the Bowden Collections traveling exhibits (used by churches, seminaries, and museums), and her collections have been loaned to institutions such as the Museum of the Bible and seen internationally. If you’d like to see her art in person, check her official site for gallery listings and upcoming shows; many hosts also post visitor information so you can plan a slow, safe visit.

A short prompt for today

If you’re reading this and holding memories that still sting, try this simple, two-minute practice inspired by Bowden’s art:

1. Find an image of one of her works (or any piece of sacred art you’re drawn to).
2. Breathe in for four counts, out for four; repeat three times.
3. Whisper or journal one sentence: “God, I bring ______ to you.” Put one word in the blank; hurt, hope, exhaustion, thanks. That’s it. Small steps.

Art as sacrament

Sandra Bowden doesn’t promise instant healing. What her work does offer is a place where wounds are witnessed by beauty and memory, where scripture is not only read but seen and felt. For survivors, that can be a form of gentle sacrament: a word made visible, a promise experienced through texture and light.

With Love and Inspiration,

Brittney @livemindfulee