Historic military paintings by J. D. Nelson and period photographs by Ival Lawhon from the Vietnam War era
James Davis Nelson and Ival Lawhon, Jr. served together in Vietnam between 1967 – 68 with the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment (Mech), 25th Infantry Division, of the United States Army. This exhibit represents the shared experiences of two young soldiers, memorializes those comrades who did not survive, and conveys the matured perspective of two men now forty years further into their lives. The Atchison Art Association will host a reception honoring the artists at the Muchnic Gallery Friday, November 2, from 5 to 7 p.m.
J. D. (Jim) Nelson was born in Beloit, Kan. in 1943. His father was a professor of philosophy; his mother a violinist. Mr. Nelson started to paint at age fourteen, later won a Ford Foundation grant and began fine art studies at the Art Student’s League in New York in 1962.
He was employed as a mural painter for the renowned industrial design firm Raymond Lowey, Inc. and was working in a studio on New York’s Fifth Avenue when in 1967 Mr. Nelson was drafted.
