About the Artist
Lauren Bonner is a proud native of Pensacola, Florida and is currently a fifth-year student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her passion for painting deepened in high school after creating a portrait of Grant G., a four-year-old family friend who passed away from childhood cancer. That experience opened her eyes to the emotional power of art and it continues to inspire her mission today. Motivated to make a difference, Lauren has donated proceeds from her paintings to the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research and has created dozens of works that support nonprofit efforts through fundraising and awareness. Her work invites viewers to reflect on the impact of small, intentional moments and how art, empathy, and joy can create lasting change.
Artist Statement
I paint people and places that carry weight. I’m drawn to subjects that uplift and moments that speak quietly, but stay with you. Photography is one of my first steps in the process. It allows me to frame and preserve moments before expanding on them through paint. I want viewers to question whether they’re looking at a photograph, but more importantly, to feel something deeper through the detail. From there, I build each canvas by hand, layer by layer, using oil paint to bring depth, color, and emotional weight to the surface. Every step, from selecting the reference image to the final brushstroke, is about honoring what matters most to me: connection, memory, and meaning. My goal is to create works that encourage people to pause and look closer.