Peter Batchelder

The subjects of Peter's paintings are inspired by memories of places discovered during a lifetime living in, and exploring, rural New England. Having spent many summers on Cape Cod, and an equal amount of time on more inland locations, his inspiration is often found during walks on the beach, and in the weathered, rustic architecture that characterizes rural and coastal regions. He is particularly drawn to the seemingly ageless quality of barns and old New England architecture. Much of his art is about editing out the clutter that grows and collects over time around these structures, as it is about painting the scene itself. As a colorist, Peter's work captures real and imagined color palettes, and often color in itself is the subject.

Having trained in studio art under Massachusetts artists Jack Coughlin, Lionel Gongora, Hanlon Davies, and William Patterson at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Peter's primary influences include the work of Edward Hopper, Wolf Kahn, Fairfield Porter, Andrew and James Wyeth, Bo Bartlett, David Hockney and Richard Diebenkorn.

Born in Beverly, Massachusetts, on Boston's North Shore, he has lived in Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and in New Hampshire, Vermont and western Massachusetts. He currently lives in Amherst, New Hampshire, with his wife, Kim, and children, Owen and Lily.