John Nelson Battenberg

BORN: December 3, 1931 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

DIED: July 8, 2012 in Scottsdale, Arizona

John Nelson Battenberg was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1931. An artist named John Goray first influenced him when Battenberg was about 10 years old. Goray moved into Battenbergs neighborhood in Kenosha, WI from Chicago, IL. Goray became his mentor, introduced him to classical music, books, and art, and encouraged him in painting. 

After high school, John chose to study painting at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. The Korean War and a brief stint in the Marine Corps interrupted his studies. By 1953, he was back to continue his education, this time at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. In 1955, he decided he wanted to use the remainder of his G.I. Bill in Europe. He found that the only government approved art school was the Ruskin School, Oxford University so he moved to England and remained at Oxford until 1957. John traveled extensively during that period and feels that his time abroad was a special time that helped to shape his views and philosophies.

In 1960, he received an MFA in painting from Michigan State University and returned to England to continue work as a painter. A few short years later, he became an artist-in-residence at Western New Mexico University in Silver City NM. It was in Silver City that John began experimenting with

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John Nelson Battenberg
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