Meanwhile, Out West...Art by Bonnie Zahn Griffith
Bonnie Zahn Griffith is an artist of the western landscape, working in oils and pastels.
The rich pigments of pastel and oil allows Griffith to create paintings that have the brilliance and the bold color we see in the landscapes of the in the western United States, giving me unlimited options to create. These mediums bring depth and texture, light and mood into her paintings. Griffith's goal is to create work that draw the viewer in to experience and imagine the time of day, the temperature, the sounds, the smells.
"I want the viewer to experience the work and get lost in it – if only for a moment. My love of the landscape prompts me to paint it. I look for a story to tell when I look at the sagebrush hills, the lush river lands, the wheat fields, the intense greens of spring in rich mountain valleys and the ever changing colors of the desert. My mediums allow me to tell that story with strong color and intensity. If I have been able to create a piece that brings the viewer to experience that...then I have done my job."
About Bonnie
As a child of artist parents, I grew up on a ranch near the Missouri Breaks in central Montana. We lived in a remote area and that allowed for a lot of self-directed entertainment - drawing, painting, reading, horseback riding and daily ranch chores. I was a self-proclaimed artist at age 5, getting into my mother's paints and paper, and create I did. Landscape shapes, texture and color were observed and studied. Famous artists like Russell, O’Keefe and Payne were favorite sources of reference. I don't remember ever being "bored" because there was always something to do that interested me! Pretty much all of that stuck with me through a career in Radiology Sciences; showing work in galleries and exhibits during that time. In the mid 1990's my art became a full time endeavor. I have studied with instructors such as Robert Moore, Scott Christensen, Lorenzo Chavez, Ned Mueller and others in the quest to strengthen and develop my style of representational work.
I am a signature member and the Secretary for the Pastel Society of the West Coast, a signature member of and past President for the Northwest Pastel Society, member of the Landscape Artists International (juried membership), Plein Air Painters of Idaho and American Impressionist Society. I have served 7 years as the chair for the Meridian (ID) Arts Commission, have served as the Executive Director of WaterWorks Art Museum, Miles City, MT and curator for several galleries.
