At a young age, Bonnie Zahn Griffith knew that she would be an artist — and now she is.

“I’ve been involved in art really my whole life,” Griffith said. “My mom was an artist, my dad was a musician and my great uncle was a commercial artist. So it’s been a part of my life forever. My declaration at age 5 was that I was going to be an artist.”

Griffith, who lives in southwest Idaho but was recently the artist-in-residence at the Idaho Art Lab in St. Anthony, grew up on a ranch near the Missouri Breaks in central Montana. At her secluded and rural home, there weren’t many ways to stay entertained except riding horses and creating art. Her love of drawing landscapes stemmed from the views she would get when riding horses.

When asked how one becomes a professional artist, she said it was a matter of work and perseverance.

“You just keep working at it,” she said. “You keep working and working and working. And I don’t think you ever make it to pure perfection, because there is always something to learn.”

However interested in the arts, Griffith didn’t go to school for it. She instead went to college for radiology.

“(Radiology) was just something that was really interesting to me when I was in high school,” Griffith said.

She went to college in Chicago and would create artwork on the side to make extra money. She would continue looking for gallery representation in her youth and currently has artwork in several areas of the Northwest.

Griffith worked in radiology for 25 years and worked in several health care organizations.

“The last part of that career was spent with a medical manufacturing company,” Griffith said. “So I did a ton of travel. You get to see a whole lot and get to be in three time zones in one week.”

She would often bring her sketchbooks on her travels.

“It was a great career, and when I decided to retire from that, I started painting full time,” Griffith said.

She said that the decision wasn’t without fear, but she had already established herself as an artist and knew she could do it. And her family supported and encouraged her.

“Any time you go from a salary position to being self-employed there’s always a little bit of fear,” she said.

When asked how she had the time to work and create art she said she made time.

“I’ve been in galleries since I was 17, so I had exposure to that and it was always a part-time endeavor to pursue the arts,” Griffith said.

She has been involved with many organizations since her move to becoming a full time artist.

Around 2009 to 2010, the Northwest Pastel Society made a call out to local artists looking for leaders, and as a member Griffith decided to step up.

“You should give back to the organizations you belong to if you want to make a difference,” Griffith said. “And I got involved with them as a vice-president. And I stayed in that role for two years and then (another) two years as president.”

Then she worked as an executive director for the Waterworks Art Museum and Center in Miles City, Montana.

“We showcased a lot of different types of art: traditional western art, contemporary, abstract, three-dimensional,” Griffith said. “It was quite an interesting place. The reason it was called the Waterworks Museum was because the building was a renovated water purification plant.”

These are not the only positions that she has held.

“I am a signature member and the secretary for the Pastel Society of the West Coast, a signature member of and past president of the Northwest Pastel Society, member of the Landscape Artists International (juried membership) and board member for the Plein Air Painters of Idaho, Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, Plain Air Painters of Washington and associate member of Women Artists of the West,” according to her website. “Currently I serve as the vice chair for the Meridian Arts Commission, have served as the executive director of a museum and curator for galleries. It has been with pleasure that I have been selected to jury and judge art shows and plein air competitions in the West. I teach workshops in pastel painting techniques and multimedia art.”

The benefits of being in a society include having artwork displayed on the society’s website, having art featured in member shows and winning awards. Being part of the society helps you gain a signature status.

“Winning the awards isn’t the main thing — it’s about doing what you love and making your art the best that you can make it,” Griffith said.

Griffith says that it’s all about creating an art piece that you’re proud of and getting it in a show or gallery.

“And if you win something, that’s the icing on the cake,” She said.

Getting artwork in a gallery is no simple task.

“There is a procedure to getting your artwork in a gallery,” Griffith said. “Most, in this day in age with everybody’s presence on the internet, you can look at what their (gallery) submission requirements are. Most (galleries) looking for artists will post the guidelines online. It’s really good etiquette, it’s imperative to follow the guidelines that they ask for.”

Griffith said it can be disruptive when a person comes into a museum or gallery with art asking directors to look at what they have.

Griffith specializes in painting landscapes.

“I don’t want to paint every blade of grass or every leaf on every tree. I think there is a lot to be said with leaving something for the viewer to make their own,” Griffith said. “That’s my deal with my work. I work in pastel a lot. That’s probably my main focus with competitions and oil. So I guess it depends on what I’m painting and how long I’m going to be out there.”

Griffith has spent some time recently in St. Anthony at the Idaho Art Lab as an artist-in-residence. She said she has been an artist-in-residence a couple times before and has enjoyed the time she gets spends in different locations creating a series of art or doing workshops with locals.

She has been teaching alcohol ink classes and pastel classes among others.

“You gotta give back, right? And so this is a way for me to give back,” Griffith said. “By helping create programs for people in an area like St. Anthony and hopefully they can take what I’ve taught and run with it.”