I am a painter working in oils and pastels, dividing my time between Southwest Idaho and Montana. The shifting light, open spaces, and seasonal contrasts of these two landscapes shape both my plein air and studio practice. Painting outdoors allows me to respond directly to atmosphere and color as they unfold in real time, while studio work gives me space to reflect, refine, and deepen that initial experience. Whether standing in sagebrush under a wide Idaho sky or among Montana’s rivers and foothills, I’m drawn to the quiet drama of place—the way light moves across land, how weather alters mood, and how memory lingers in color. My work is rooted in observation but guided by feeling, seeking to capture not just what a landscape looks like, but what it feels like to stand within it. Visit my website www.bonniegriffith.com or my instagram page @bonniezahngriffith to see current and archived works
Resume and CV
BZG
Artist
3012 N. Springtime Way
Meridian, ID 83646
509-301-1188
My work represents the western landscape and beyond and is done in soft pastels and in oils. 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 great color and intensity and if I have been able to create a piece that brings the viewer into it to experience it...then I have done my job.
Professional Artist focusing in pastel, oils and encaustic. Educator in pastel and inks.
Education:
Workshops and studies:
Idaho Commission for the Arts – My Artrepeneural Program
Bruce Haughey – oils composition and technique
Lorenzo Chavez oils and pastel in Plein air
Elizabeth Mowry - pastel landscape. Masters class
Clark Mitchell - pastel landscape
Robert Moore – Plein Air in Oils
Aaron Schuerr – Plein Air in Oils and Pastels
Scott Christensen – Adventures in Painting and Continuing Ed
Employment - 1994-present:
Professional artist working both in studio and Plein air. Participates in numerous invitational Plein air events including Quick draws in WA, OR, UT, MT and ID. Gallery representation in these states.
2013-14 Executive Director -WaterWorks Art Museum and Art Center, Miles City, MT. Managed museum and art center. Developed programs and taught painting classes, fund raising and grant writing.
Artist in Residence:
Whitman Cellars 2006-2009
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument 2015,
Idaho Art Lab 2019
Professional Affiliations:
Pastel Society of the West Coast – Signature Member
Northwest Pastel Society - Signature member
Western Heritage Artists
Landscape Artists International
American Impressionists Society
Juror and Judging
2009, 2010 Arts Juror and Judge SW WA Expo
2012, 2013 Judge: Eastern Montana Fair and Expo, Garfield Country Fair Art and Photography, Broadus Fair Art and Photography
2014 Juror of entries Montana Artrepeneural Program annual Show
2015 Judge Escalante Canyons Art Festival and Plein Air
2017 Judge Wallowa Valley Festival of the Arts, Joseph, OR
2017 Juror of entries Plein Air Painters of ID annual exhibit
2018 Judge Wild Rivers Plein Air, Questa, NM
2018 Judge Eagle Plein Air Festival, Eagle, ID
2020 Juror and judge Peninsula Art League Open Exhibit, Gig Harbor WA
2022 Juror and Judge Combine Collective Juried Show, Walla Walla WA
2022 Juror Plein Air WA Artists Annual Show, WA
2022 Judge Crossroads Annual Show, Baker City OR
2022 Judge Escalante Canyons Plein Air Festival, Escalante UT
2023 judge Eagle Plein Air Festival Eagle, ID
2024 judge Annual Juried Show Combine Art Collective Walla Walla WA
2024 RMJAS Red Lodge MT
2024 California Penninsula Art Show
2026 Crossroads At Plein Air Baker City OR
Awards:
Best of Show: Carnegie Art Center Show 2001, Eagle Plein Air 2016 & 2020, 2022, Joseph Plein Air 2019, 2025
First Place PSWC Out of Bounds
Peoples Choice: Walla Walla Valley Art Show 1998, Allied Arts Regional Show 2006, Carnegie Show 2006, Escalante Canyons Plein Air 2016, Driggs Plein Air 2016, 2017,2018; Red Rocks Plein Air 2017, Eagle Plein Air, YWCA Art Auction 2004, 2006, Joseph Festival of Art 2019
Jurors Awards: Carnegie Regional Show 1997,2001, 2002, 2003, Allied Arts Regional Exhibit 2007, Wallowa Valley Arts Festival 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,2015, 2919; Moab Plein Air 2011, 2017, 2019; Wasatch Plein Air 2017 x 2,x2 – 2019, 2024, 2025; Eagle Plein Air 2016, 2017,
Northwest Pastel Society 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017x2,
Pastel Society of the West Coast 2012, Pastel Society of N. FL 2012, Steamboat Springs Plein Air 2019, Crossroads 2019, 2924, 2025, Eagle Plein Air 2019,2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Purchase Award Wasatch Plein Air 2018, 2024, 2025
Pastel 100 honorable mention 2009;
Sage Center Sheridan, WY International Pastel exhibit 2018;
Presidents Award: Northwest Pastel Society 2009;
Gold Award: Allied Arts Regional Exhibit 2009
Presidents Award – Signature member Show NWPS 2022, Champion Award – Eagle Plein Air 2022
Best Pastel – Eagle Plein Air 2022, 2024
First Place Quick Draw – Driggs Plein Air 2022, 2024
International Association of Societies – Award of Merit 2025
Pastel award of Excellence Crossroads Annual Show 2024, 2025
Plein Air Magazine Best Pastel 2025
Modern Impression magazine 2nd Place 2026
Artist in Residence: Whitman Cellars Gallery 2005-2009, Grand Staircase National Monument 2015, Idaho Art Lab 2019;
Timeless Legacy Artist of Glacier Park 2019; 2020, 2021, 2022
Articles and Publications:
Pastel Journal 2009, 2011, 2016
Southwest Art 2016,2018,2022
Western Art Collector 2012
Walla Walla Union Bulletin 2007, 2013, 2023, 2024 and other inclusions in arts and entertainment
Miles City Star 2010, 2013, 2025
Eagle Magazine 2017
Strokes of Genius 9 2017
PSWC Magazine Summer 2019
Pastel Magazine (PSWC) 2019
Meridian Magazine August 2019
Great Anerican Paint In Collection 2022
Best of Watercolorr 2024
Cover Art Boise Weekly 2026
Featured Art Exhibits (solo)
Carnegie Center Walla Walla WA 2008
Pendleton Center of the Arts 2007, 2018
Waterworks Art Museum Miles City MT 2012
Depot Gallery Red Lodge MR 2017, 3026
Finer Frames Gallery Eagle ID 2018
Combine Art Collective Walla Walla WA 2022, 2026
Idaho Art Gallery 2025, 2026
