She studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts beginning in 1957 and spent a year at L'École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1960.
In the early 1970s she travelled to Nigeria with her husband, Ian Auld, a trip that would prove to be influential in her subsequent work.
[citation needed] Since the early 1960s and 70s her work has challenged the traditional notions surrounding the form of a vessel and fine art.
[4] "Lowndes is keenly aware of the periodically changing objects that have furnished [her house] over time, and admits to a particular fondness for the usually taken for granted things that surround us in contemporary life: bulldog clips, can openers, forks, and pliers.
"The found materials [Lowndes employs] are poor, low-status ones – old bricks, clinker, granite clippings, mild steel strip, cheap industrially made cups and tiles.
"[3] Lowndes used many different combinations and amalgamations of clay from fiberglass dipped in liquid porcelain slip to Egyptian paste in her work.
When the work is finished, the fusion of the disparate parts rarely resembles the original piece with which she began.
"[11] Specifically, the Yoruba, who live in southwestern Nigeria near Ife University where Lowndes' husband worked during their time there, are known for their new styles and approaches to art.
Yoruba artwork, which takes numerous forms, is deeply imbedded in a philosophical discourse pertaining to "deep talk".