Linda Batchelor, who works out of a studio in Easthampton and lives in Florence, has spent more than 40 years in the arts in various media, from printmaking to collaging to painting. A graduate of Brown University who also studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art and at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Batchelor, 66, has been active locally with Zea Mays Printing in Florence and the Oxbow Gallery in Northampton.
A native of Florida, she says the lush colors of the Sunshine State and the “boomerang shapes and geometric patterns” of 1950s architecture have been a big influence on her abstract prints and paintings (she prints her own papers with etching ink on a press). Fun fact about her: The actor Alan Alda has some of her work in his art collection.
Steve Pfarrer: Talk about the work you’re currently doing. What does it involve, and what are you trying to achieve?
Linda Batchelor: I have spent the last couple of years venturing out from the collage and monotype pieces I’ve been doing for years. While I love that work, I felt the need to take a break and stretch and challenge myself.
I’ve delved into painting, both acrylic and oil, and tried working larger and on different surfaces. It may be that I return to monotype/collages with a fresher outlook, or that I combine painting and printmaking, but I’ll try to remain open to all possibilities.
S.P.: What do you draw inspiration from?
L.B.: I mostly look at art and design for inspiration. I go to museums and galleries, and I love books. I also check magazines that deal with fabric design and architecture. Really, anything is fair game. It could be the pattern on your shirt.
S.P.: How do you know when your work is finished?
L.B.: It’s easier with the collages. At a certain point they coalesce — they’re balanced, with a bit of “off balance” to promote interest and humor. The paintings, especially the abstracts, are harder, and sometimes I live with them for a year and then one day paint over them.
S.P.: Have you ever had a “mistake” — a project that seemed to be going south — turn into a wonderful discovery instead?
L.B.: Yes. I tried last spring to do a figurative collage on a panel. But, being contrary, I just couldn’t make it work. So I painted over the collage with white acrylic paint in a slapdash manner. I just wanted to obliterate the piece.
But this combination of thick collage papers and sometimes opaque, sometimes translucent white paint served as a background for a new collage using black paper in a variety of shapes. The piece ended up with first a figurative collage layer, then a painting layer, and then an abstract collaged layer. It surprised and pleased me.
S.P.: Name some artists you admire or who have influenced your work. What about their art appeals to you?
L.B.: My mother, Miriam French Batchelor, went to Black Mountain College in the late 1930s. She introduced me, through stories and art, to all her teachers, including Anni and Josef Albers, and that fabulous revolutionary school. I love the mid-19th century aesthetic and the mix of fine art and craft.
S.P.: Do you listen to music while you’re working? What kind?
L.B.: Yes. It’s often rock ‘n’ roll when I need to loosen up and energize. Also, my daughter was president of her college’s Boogie club in the early 2000s, and she gave me many, many mixed CDs. For quieter moods, I listen to classical and sometimes jazz.
S.P.: What do you do when you’re stuck?
L.B.: Rip myself away before I make a total disaster, breathe in and out, and go home and garden.
Linda Batchelor’s website is:
lindabatchelor.com