statement

Time is a fluid medium to be manipulated the same as paint. My art explores the continuum of time. I gather images by looking closely at them in a historical aspect. I look for surfaces that reflect the passage of time. Creating the equivalents in paint is a process of exploration as I allow the spontaneous layers of painting to dictate the direction of each piece. By layering images I integrate meanings that invoke a response by the viewer. By looking at the past and responding intuitively I explore the future by applying knowledge of the present. I use deep rich color to express my excitement over the process of creativity. I reinterpret everyday objects from the past and present to create new meaning. Some of these include objects from flea markets or the remains of my own earlier work.

Through life I gather memories and communicate my emotional response through the use of textural surfaces, real and implied. My art is a continuum. It is a non-identical reflection of who I am. Each day adds to and changes my past. My art is who I am. Without it I would cease to exist. It is a passionate and compelling reason to live. It is the excitement of not knowing what new image will appear that takes me to the studio. Each day is a gift. I paint for myself and hope someone else gets my message. It is like sending a message to the universe hoping someone will see.

The sensation of life and the inevitable passing of time is suggested through a knowing manipulation of time-forgotten images as well as through masterful use of traditional contemporary media. This is an artist who warrants our attention and respect, for she has much to teach us about the age to come.

- Essay on Bonny Lhotka from Unique Editions catalog, William Havlicek, Former Museum Curator, Professional writer on art

Lhotka's essential quest for content in her work. In every stage of her art live, she has invested her work with meaningful symbolism and a sense of continuum that links time and space. Adding the computer to her mediums is a fitting solution to Lhotka's desire to be of her time, reflecting the edge of ideas where art meets science, science meets philosophy, and ultimately, the work meets the viewer who adds to it a personal interpretation. To bring about the oneness and harmony she seeks, Lhotka has enriched her intention. She is reaching for a multilevel connection that calls for not only emotional but also intellectual and spiritual responses from viewers who, like herself, ponder their place in the information age. The images in Bonny Lhotka's increasingly complex art have become symbols referring to time, space, the journey of life, death, wisdom, and the paradoxes of our human condition. As a mature artist, Lhotka brings a fresh eye to that interface where technology and the sensibilities of men and women meet.

- "Bonny Lhotka, On the Edge" an essay by Mary Carroll Nelson, author

biography

Lhotka graduated from Bradley University in 1964, where she majored in painting and printmaking. In 1992 she added a Macintosh computer to her studio tools and continues to innovate new approaches in her work.

Her artwork have been commissioned by or are included in over one hundred collections including Lucent Technologies, United Airlines, Johns Space Center, Jones Intercable, Microtek Labs, US Department of State, Charles Schwab, MCI, and McDonnell Douglas.

Her work is shown internationally and appears in numerous books and articles featuring experimental media. She is listed in Who's Who in American Art and Who's Who in American Women.

She is a founder of the digital artist collaborative Digital Atelier. Other founding member are Dorothy Krause and Karin Schminke. The Digital Atelier® conducts research on digital imaging for fine art application.