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Torrey SunriseApril 21st, 2009

Rock and light inspire fresh art in Torrey
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by Anand Rao

Torrey sunrise

At every sunrise, imagination takes flight. The spotless azure of the sky, the ethereal crimson glow of sunlight bouncing off the red rock of capitol reef and the endless vast expanse of green provides a picturesque setting for inspired creativity. The cold breeze from the higher elevations of Dixie National forest blows like the perennial source of energy for a group of artists, who meet at Gallery 24, one of the two art galleries in the idyllic town of Torrey in Wayne County.

When Anand Rao of Utah Stories went down there, he admittedly expected the familiar art-village picture of a young and boisterous bunch of artists dancing around a fire. What he found was far better. The average age of artists in Torrey is somewhere in the mid-fifties. They are people who came to this quaint little paradise for different reasons. Leaving behind their lives of commuting traffic, schedules and the daily grind to start afresh; reinventing the whole cycle of learning and unlearning. Meet some of the impressive artists of Torrey, Utah

Ray Conrad
Torrey artist Ray Conrad

 

 

Ray Conrad

Acrylic, pen, ink, sculpture, flute, hammered dulcimer, mandolin, guitar, bread, poached eggs "Whatever seems to happen." Ray Conrad's talents are an endless stream. Self-taught, schedule-free and dealer-free, Wayne County's own Renaissance man is also the region's poet laureate and a much-appreciated cook. Originally from Minnesota, Ray Conrad did attend a couple of years of art school and settled for doing some carpentry in Salt Lake City. 30 years back he moved to Torrey to live the country life. "The country always appealed to me and at that time the drug scene was getting nasty in the cities." Drawing ever since he was a little kid, Ray Conrad had to move to Torrey to realize his potential as an artist. His approach to art is as freedom-driven and impulsive as his surroundings. Despite selling quite a few of his paintings over the last 20 years he has no fixed structure to it. "If people see what they like, they buy it. I don't push to make it commercial. I just like making pictures of what I enjoy seeing."

Come Memorial Day weekend and Torrey will host the Cowboy Poetry and Art festival. Ray Conrad is the master of ceremonies at the upcoming festival. A regular performer at the event, Ray is one of the most popular faces in these parts and is recognized wherever he goes.

Part 1     Part 2: More Torrey Artists »   Part 3 »

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