|
|
Media - Oil Paintings
Website - http://www.peterbatchelder.com
Biography
Born in Beverly, MA on Boston’s North Shore, Peter has spent time living
throughout New England in both coastal and western Massachusetts, Martha’s Vineyard,
Vermont and, currently, New Hampshire.
Peter trained in studio art at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (BFA 1987) under
artists Jack Coughlin, Lionel Gongora, John Grillo, and Hanlon Davies as well as Robert
Cardinal at the Truro Center for the Arts.
After establishing himself as a successful graphic designer, Peter began pursuing his fine
art career in 1992 on Martha’s Vineyard where he resided year-round for three years.
Upon returning to the mainland he co-founded, as Creative Director, a web design and software
company based in Bedford, NH. In the recent years he has achieved success as an artist with
his representation at prestigious galleries in the Boston area, Provincetown and the
Monadnock, NH region.
Artist Statement
Throughout my life I have had the benefit of living in different rural environments within New
England. From the coastal landscapes of Massachusetts to the woods, mountains and farmlands of
New Hampshire and Vermont I have experienced the differences in nature, geography and light in
these varied environments. Childhood interests in architecture and archaeology have led me to
consider the context of time-worn structures within the New England landscapes. I am
fascinated on many levels when coming across a barn or seaside cottage. From an artist’s
perspective I am interested in the nature of the architecture, how it sits within its
landscape, color and light.
From a personal perspective, I find myself often curious about the story of the building: who
built it and why; the many people who have lived or worked in the building; how the landscape
may have changed around the structure over the course of years. I find that the curiosity I
have about the building intertwines with the creative process in my interpretation of the
architecture and landscape in one image. In some of my work I feel that the outcome is that
the architecture serves as the sentry for the landscape and in other cases the exact opposite.
Because I remove extraneous details from both the landscape and architecture I paint, it is my
hope that a viewer will be challenged by the image to let their own curiosity create a story -
is the beach cottage long abandoned or just waiting for its inhabitants to return?
I have long been influenced by the works of Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, Edward Hopper, Winslow
Homer and Robert Cardinal and their use of light and color to define subject and mood. I
typically begin a piece with multiple sketches in either graphite or charcoal to work out the
composition. Then I transition to small watercolor or oil studies to allow for experimentation
with different color fields and use of light before committing to canvas. I use many layers of
paint in my work to allow me to pull the undercolor to the surface and create depth and
movement to highlight form and the way light defines a subject.
|
