Sunday, November 14, 2010

Meet the Conrad's

Roger and Bonnie Conrad - like many others in the St. George area - found their way from the northern part of the state to Utah’s Dixie after growing weary of shoveling snow. About their home in Woodland Hills, Roger says, “the snow doesn’t clear until April and since we have business concerns involving student housing in both Cedar City and Provo, we decided it was just as easy to drive north as it is to drive south!”

However, even after the decision was made, it took another two years of looking before they found the right house with lots of wall space and the right lighting for Bonnie’s large body of award-winning oil paintings representing more than 20 years of professionally painting the American West and her rural heritage! She is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America (OPA) and American Women Artists (AWA) as well as American Plains Artists (APA). Her work is in the permanent collections at the Pioneer Center for the Arts in St. George, Utah and the Clymer Museum in Ellensburg, Washington. Among her many prestigious awards she has the American Plains Artists First Place Oil 2009 and Best of Show 2004, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation 2008 Poster artist, St. George Arts Festival Best of Show 2004, Zwei Tu Color Award Oil Painter's of America 2003, First Place Oil American Academy of Women Artists 2003, Best of Show Western Spirit 2003.

On her website at www.bonnieconrad.com, she writes: “Painting for me is somewhat of an addiction. I am often referred to as a 'painterly' painter and when I get into that mode of freedom…applying the strokes with calculated abandon…I am at the height of my glory! Exploring the use of color and light is what captivates me. There is power in being able to breathe life into a two-dimensional image thru the use of value and temperature and strategically placed unexpected color notes can make a piece sing.

There is something about a masterfully executed painting which touches deeply the inner soul. I am constantly challenged to accomplish that type of response in myself and others. The best compliment a viewer ever gave me is ‘WOW!’”

Roger spent 20 years as “the boss” on numerous big ranches of the “for profit” side of the LDS Church’s commercial and agricultural operations in Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Texas and Oregon. “Some days I was in the saddle or in the feed lot . . . some days I was in meetings with the FDA or Crow Indian tribal leaders,” notes the businessman. He became “voluntarily unemployed” in 1996 when he quit ranching to work four years with Sinclair Oil and another few years with a land developer in Oregon before pursuing a career in real estate. Currently his license is on the back burner until he decides if 14-15 years is enough! About his career, Roger notes, “I’ve never worked a day in my life! On the ranches, I got to choose how I spent every day and I’d frequently ask ‘They’re paying me to do this? I’d do this for free!’”

The Conrad’s are the proud parents of six children (“all boys except five,” jokes Roger) and 23 grandchildren, ages 14 to “just barely.”

In their life in rural America, the Conrad’s have always served the Lord. She has been a Relief Society president, a Young Women’s president, a Primary president, taught clogging, played the piano (until rheumatoid arthritis made it impossible to continue), and according to her husband, “really knows how to put on a roadshow!”

He has served in 4 bishoprics - including two stints as a bishop. He has been on a BYU high council and has served as a scoutmaster.

Evelyn Conrad, lives with her son Roger and daughter-in-law Bonnie in their Bloomington home. Born 90 years ago in Storrs, Utah, a coal mining town in Carbon County, she grew up in Helper and attended school in Wellington. There were very few members of the church when she was a young woman, so her mother called Church headquarters asking that missionaries be sent to their community. Evelyn married young but went on to live a happy life with Don Conrad. The couple, who enjoyed 70 years of wedded bliss before he passed away at age 94 of Alzheimers disease, raised a family of six children (one died in infancy), which has now resulted in 30 grands and “lots of greats”.

Says the new ward member, “I love to read, cook, quilt, iron and dance. I’ve enjoyed being a mother and I’ve raised a wonderful family. Other than that, I’ve really not done anything spectacular in my lifetime.”

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