About the Artist

Deborah Bowman, Ph.D. leads a contemplative, creative and full life as photographer, author, psychologist, and Professor of Transpersonal Counseling Psychology and Wilderness Therapy at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. As a psychotherapist and trainer for the Boulder Psychotherapy Institute she offers courses in Creativity and Gestalt and Jungian studies. A practicing artist for over 25 years she is breaking ground in combining photography with the words of the Buddha.
Deborah is a student of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, a Buddhist teacher in the Tibetan lineage, and derives inspiration from wisdom teachings from around the world. Her work in the wilderness frames her experience in nature and the Tao te Ching gives her language to express that connection. Her journey to healing began when she lost an eye and almost died in a climbing fall in 1979. Following this trauma she began an inner journey immersing herself in Buddhism, art, nature, Gestalt and Jungian approaches to healing.
Discovering a way to combine her artistic proclivities with profound teachings opened a door Deborah thought had been locked, a way to weave art into a meaning contribution. Photography became a way to play with light and color while interacting with the people, traditions and beauty of the world. Rendering sculpted images in photography allows her to explore another favorite medium while making sacred art accessible to others.
Deborah has shown her work in galleries in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Kansas. Now seeking a broader audience, her book, The Luminous Buddha, is available world wide. This Fall she is excited for the release of her next book, The Female Buddha: Discovering the Heart of Liberation and Love. Click Here to contact Deborah for workshops, lectures, books and gallery shows.

Ankor Wat, Cambodia

Photo by Stephen Burden

Samadhi Publications