Bonnie Conrad

Bio/Artist Statement
Bonnie Conrad received her BA from Brigham Young University and spent a year studying under Master Draftsman Kent Goodliffe. She also studied under William Reese, Donald Putnam, Matt Smith, Carolyn Anderson, Dan Mieduch, Gary Kapp, Jim Wilcox, Ken Baxter. She is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America (OPA), American Women Artists (AWA) and American Plains Artists (APA) and has won a variety of national awards. Bonnie is invited to participate in many renowned shows throughout the year and has work in the permanent collections of the Pioneer Center for the Arts, St. George, UT and the Clymer Museum in Ellensburg, WA.

Bonnie relishes the freedom to apply strokes with calculated abandon. She describes her painterly style as somewhat impressionistic. One of her strengths lies is in her ability to create a striking portrayal of light bathing a subject.  Most often her images are outdoor scenes in strong sunlight. She embraces the challenge of getting the ‘sparkle’ of this condition on the canvas.  Color and light “sing” when they are handled authoritatively and this is the result Bonnie is after. Rather than copy nature, Bonnie chooses to play the role of ‘creator’ by using her skill to comment on a subject as it interacts with its environment; to offer an interpretation of that particular moment.  She comments, “There is such a thrill in being able to bring something to life on a two dimensional surface. I want the viewer to hear the throbbing drumbeat and feel the excitement radiating from a dancing Indian child; to re-live a tender moment between a mother and child or to taste the dust and feel the sun inherent in her Western ranch scenes.”

A self-proclaimed painting addict, she sums it up quite simply;  “I’d rather be painting!