After the war John moved to Peoria, Illinois- earned his G.E.D. and then enrolled at Bradley University for his B.F.A. and became an assistant to P.R. McIntosh, Head of the Department of Art at Bradley. When McIntosh took a position at the University of Florida, Gainsville, Lynch taught all of McIntosh’s composition classes at Bradley under Sibyl Moholy-Nagy. He then became assistant to Harry E. Wood, Dean of the College of Fine Arts

Studies in Mexico
In 1949 after receiving his B.F.A. John E. Lynch entered Escuela de Bellas Artes, San Miguel Allende, Guanuato, Mexico to work toward a Master’s degree. John studied fresco and lithography under David Barrajas, pupil of Orozco and later studied with John Baldwin. A controversy between David Siqueros and the Syndicate of Mexican Artists caused the withdrawal of funding by the Veteran’s Administration. In October, 1950 John entered the Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico Cityand it was here he met artist, Ray Rice. Rice was studying mural painting under Sequierros. John worked with Jose Gutierriz, a pioneer experimenter in new mediums at that time- pyroxolin, vinylite, and silicon. .