By Lisa Cook
Mountain Arts Network
Beloved mountain artist Helga Batman-Koplin passed away on Saturday, March 22, 2025. Close to a year ago, Helga suffered a debilitating stroke and was confined to a bed with some paralysis. She was a favorite with the staff at her care center. Her spirited conversations and sometimes bawdy humor kept the staff highly entertained. She was an honored member of Mountain Arts Network and Gallery.
Helga was born and raised in Lorrach, Germany, where she began painting as a child. Her parents gave her the gift of a small box of watercolors and some crayons when she was 5 years old. This was the impetus that inspired her artistic passion and commitment. She received a degree from the University of Mainz in Interpretation and Translation in French and English in 1959.
One of Helga Batman-Koplin’s many landscapes. (Photo by Lisa Cook)
That same year Helga emigrated to the United States but found French and English translators in little demand. She supported herself as a bank teller while continuing to paint. By 1970 she was working and studying in the art departments of Cypress College (Orange County) and California State University, Long Beach. Later she took additional classes in impressionist manner painting, life drawing and design with such noted Southern California artists as Hal Reed, Joseph Mendez, Mildred Walker, Kanya Bugreeff and Ted Goerschner. She began participating in juried shows.
As an accomplished painter, Helga received numerous Best in Show and first-place awards. Among her awards were those from the Palos Verdes Art Center, Artist’s Open Group, Lake Arrowhead Art & Wine Festival, Fine Arts Institute, Redlands and San Bernardino Valley National Orange Show, Citrus Category. In 2000 she received a Winsor & Newton Award from the Redlands Arts Association, Miniature Show.
Her work has been purchased by many corporate and private collectors. Redlands Community Hospital and the County of San Bernardino have included her work as part of their permanent art collections. She was featured artist in the “County Heritage Show” and her work was purchased and now hangs in the Cultural Affairs Office in San Bernardino County.
In 1990 Helga moved into her vacation home in Lake Arrowhead and started exhibiting her work around the county. Since then, she was a featured artist in several exhibitions.
In 1995 Helga was featured in a one-person show in Lake Arrowhead at Gallery Rodeo. Helga was one of the exhibiting artists in “Art Alive” 1998, 1999 and 2000 at the Riverside Art Museum, at UCLA Fine Art & Dining in 2000, the Arts Council of San Bernardino County, the Fine Arts Institute in Redlands and the 31st annual national Palm Springs Desert Museum show in 2000.
Helga lost her home and everything in it in the 2003 Old Fire. All of her paintings were lost and she was forced to start anew.
She is survived by her two children, Kay Gobelin and Greg Batman. Her paintings and prints are currently exhibited for sale at the Mountain Arts Gallery in Lake Arrowhead Village.
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