We recently connected with Kristopher Battles and have shared our conversation below.

Kristopher, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I can remember drawing from a really early age. Whenever I had time, I’d draw things I saw or imagined. I’d draw football players (my dad was a high school football coach and some of my earliest memories were of football), dinosaurs, cars, and then when Star Wars hit theaters, my subject matter became almost entirely Star Wars related! I drew war scenes, too, however, and history was always important to me. I always knew I wanted to be an artist– either that or an astronaut or an airplane mechanic!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When did you first know you wanted to pursue a… creative/artistic path professionally? I can remember drawing from a very early age. Whenever I had time, I’d draw things I saw or imagined. I’d draw football players (my dad was a high school football coach and some of my earliest memories were of football), dinosaurs, cars, and airplanes (and once it hit theaters, “Star Wars” dominated my drawings!). I drew battle scenes, too, however, and history was always important to me. I always knew I wanted to be an artist– either that or an astronaut or an airplane mechanic!

Art/Creative works, inspirations/Focus/Mission/etc.
I am the Marine Corps Artist in Residence—the second person to hold that title, after Colonel Charles Waterhouse held it originally from the 1970s to early 1990s. My focus and purpose in that capacity is to tell the Marine Corps story using historical narrative painting, drawing, and even sculpture. I also manage the Marine Corps Combat Art Program, which involves recruiting, training, and sending combat artists out into the world to document Marines and Marine Corps activities across the globe.
A secondary focus of my art is to try to create images to which people of all backgrounds, military or civilians, can relate. I believe art also can bring a bit of truth, order, and even beauty or truth out of what traditionally can be a rather ugly thing—war.

About myself
I grew up in a small town in Missouri, west of Saint Louis, named Hermann- with a population around 2500 people. When not drawing or playing Dungeons and Dragons, I’d spend hours of my time running in the creeks and woods near my house, looking for crawdads or playing soldiers.
As an adult I have come to love the big city and all its attractions. There are so many good things to see and do (and eat!) in places like DC, New York, and Boston. But my heart still loves the countryside and the small town.

How I got into my industry/business/discipline/craft
When I got to college, I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting. I loved all of my art classes, and could have gone into printmaking, sculpture, or ceramics. But I wanted ultimately to be an illustrator, and traditional painting seemed to fit that goal.
After I graduated in 1991, I painted and did my art on the side (as most creatives do) while working regular jobs to pay the bills. Slowly but surely, I had to work less on regular jobs and did more and more art jobs, until I was working full time as an artist by 2005.

What types of products/services/creative works I provide.
I paint in oils and acrylics, both as an illustrator and fine artist. I do historical illustrations as well as reportage art. I will work in any traditional medium and paint in any traditional genre as well, from still life to landscape to portraits.

What problems do I solve
I solve the tension in crafting a composition which both tells the truth and functions as an exercise in the elements and principles of design—in other words, an image which connects with the viewer by its narrative and its formal nature.

What sets me apart from others
I am one of only a few Artists in Residence in the US military. Most artists don’t risk a lot to do their craft. Combat artists and military artists put it all on the line for their art when they deploy to combat zones and other “highly kinetic” environments in which the military operates.

What am I most proud of…
Having served as a Marine combat artist on active duty and deploying overseas in that capacity.

What do I want people to know about me or my work
I want people to know that there is still art out there whose purpose is to chronicle events, and to carry emotion, to tell a story or even share a higher truth.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My mission is to tell the story of Marines and the Marine Corps to the public for now and for posterity. My goal is also to create works which, even if not stunning or otherwise memorable, may touch a veteran or family, give them something they can relate to, and help them tell their own story.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to tell the story of Marines and the Marine Corps to the public for now and for posterity. My goal is also to create works which, even if not stunning or otherwise memorable, may touch a veteran or family, give them something they can relate to, and help them tell their own story.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I get to create things which last, and express things which others can identify with.