Conal's parents were both professional unionists, and he grew up in Manhattan. He received a partial arts degree from San Francisco State University in 1969. After living in Canada for a time, he received a Master of Fine Arts from Stanford University in 1978 and moved to Los Angeles in 1984. He is Adjunct Professor of Painting & Drawing at the Roski School of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California. He is married to Deborah Ross, creator of film credits.