Early Life, Family and Training Ruurd Elzer was born in Sneek, Netherlands, on February 27, 1915. He was the son of Sjoerdtje Rodenburg and Gabe Elzer, a notary. In 1927, the family left the province of Friesland to settle in 't Zandt, located within the Groningen countryside. This move to the rural landscape of Groningen would eventually become a defining backdrop for his life and his creative development. His formal education in th…