‘Let the paint be paint’

Peter Batchelder ’86 has been making art since childhood because he loved “the process of creating an image,” he says. That love still drives him today, inspiring the paintings you’ll find in galleries and his own studio. His subject matter grows out of his interest in the landscapes and structures of New England. His style was strongly influenced by his time at UMass, and in particular, two visiting faculty members: Colombian painter and lithographer Leonel Góngora and Northern California abstract expressionist John Grillo. “These two artists were abstract expressionists, and my work was much more representational,” says Batchelder. “They pushed me to loosen up, be more gestural, let the paint be paint versus being used to literally translate something to a canvas.”

“Decades after leaving UMass, and continuing to paint and to find my style, the work of Góngora and Grillo resonated more,” Batchelder adds. “They made paintings that were fun, whimsical, extremely colorful, and that pursued their chosen themes with the same sense of experimentation and freedom I feel I bring to my work.” See examples of Batchelder’s vibrant scenes below.

To learn more about Batchelder’s work, visit his gallery website.