Jonathan David Batchelor

I so wish that my mother, Fayne Paris, would have known how to reach out to Jonathan while they were both still alive and well. She was one of his models while a student at UC Berkeley in 1946-48 -- she always spoke of him with such loving adoration. I have a few sketches he made in preparation for this casting of my mother. How I so wish I could locate this piece ([email protected], if you know it still exists). Thank you, Jonathan, for giving a post-War, idealist, college co-ed...

Miss our great talks with one another!

My father was a good friend of Jonathan's. My dad was Harold"Redd" Davis. I remember the parties in Canyon. Sigred would make a big pot of ciopino, Jonathan would make the wine, and Sigred, would dance with my dad to zorba the Greek. Lol . Jonathan gave me a tour of his art once and I swear he had painted every woman in canyon! I called him the Vincent Van Gogh of canyon . I remember another child named storm. I remember Eagle well as he was my age, then Maya and Tara. One evening Jonathan...

My father was very interesting. He was a true artist, painter, sculptor, writer and teacher. My mother met him when he taught at Oakland High Adult Art classes. She was a student and model. He painted over 30 portraits of her. They had three children, Thornton, Myra and Auria. With the help of Julia our family came together for holidays etc... They even let me move to Canyon with my son who was three yrs. old. He went to preschool while I lived there. That was a special chapter of me life and...

I did not know of his passing. I wish I could have seen him one more time. I grew up with his family in the 50s through the 70s. He, his late wonderful wife Siegrid (sp?), and his kids Egale, Maya, and Tara. My parents (Eddie & Linda) and he were best friends. Some of my most fondest memories are of us with him and his family. Johnathan was like a father and fun uncle all rolled into one for me. Siegrid was my second mother. I miss her still. I loved them both and have and will always be in...

I didn't know Mr. Batchelor, but my mother did. She modeled for him for several years,and for quite a number of his sculptures while she was in school at UC Berkley in the mid '30's. She always spoke very highly of him. We have a number of his pre-sculpture sketches of my mother. I love them. I would love to see more of his work, but I don't know where to find it.

I still miss Jonathan and think of him often. I miss the walks we used to take up on top of the ridge in Canyon, drinking wine on the boat, and just hanging out at the house. What a wonderful man, who made a great impression on my life. Here's to you Jonathan!

It has been a little over two years since Jonathan's death and nobody, but nobody can know how much I miss him. I oftentimes find myself trying to remember the little things about him, the mannerisms, the peculiarities, the way he said things ("Here I be!" instead of "Here I am!"). And how about "I think I hear footsteps approaching on horseback!" That was one he got from his father. Because of the loss of 18 years of my life with him in photographs, I am hurting more than anyone can know....