Joan Batchelder is a watercolorist and co-founder of Cottage Garden Studio which was established from a deep yearning to create.  At age 10, her parents signed her up for art lessons where she learned the basics of painting with watercolors.  Years later, she was an art major in college which was followed by a year at Katharine Gibbs School in Boston.  As a result, she subsequently chose a path in banking then securities which spanned the next decade.  Like many women, Joan took a few years off to raise her son and daughter.  Once they were in school full time, she serendipitously entered the travel industry where she has spent the last 25 years.

Fast forward . . . the planet became besieged by something called the Coronavirus.  The travel industry came to a screeching halt and all of our lives changed in the blink of an eye.  A few years ago while living in Vermont, Joan picked up a brush for the first time in probably 40 years and she rediscovered her passion for painting.  What better time to launch Cottage Garden Studio?

Like many artists, Joan’s artistic expressions are a direct result of the people, places and passions that have fueled her soul over the years.  She and her family have been fortunate to live on the coast of Maine, in the Green Mountains of Vermont and in the company of the Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  It is only fitting that she begins her journey and launches this website with her Coastal, Garden and Western Collections of whimsical notecards. All photos were taken by Joan unless otherwise specified.