Lynch's interest in art began at an early age; he recalled his father bringing home large amount of paper from his government job, and because his mother would not let him use coloring books, he would draw and paint on this spare paper. Lynch's early artwork mostly depicted war-related imagery?weaponry and fighter planes?based on his collection of toy military equipment. He frequently depicted the M1917 Browning machine gun, calling it a favorite of his. Later in life, however, Lynch was summoned for conscription for the Vietnam War, and declared 4-F, "unfit for military service", for undisclosed health reasons.