Collection: Joan Batchelder: Watercolors and Cards


Watercolor Illustration Greeting Cards

Joan Batchelder is a watercolorist and co-founder of Cottage Garden Studio, Inc. which was established from a deep yearning to create. At age 10, her parents enrolled her in art lessons where she learned the basics of painting with watercolors and oil paints. Years later, she was a Studio 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 and 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 was besieged by something called the Coronavirus. The travel
industry came to a screeching halt, and all of our lives changed in an instant. A few years ago while living in Vermont, Joan picked up a paint brush for the first time in nearly 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 her website with her Coastal, Garden and Western Collections of whimsical note cards. 

Artist Statement

Expressing my creativity has always been a core part of my life. I have always found it to be incredibly satisfying and calming to produce a piece of work with my own hands that others may appreciate. I enrolled in art lessons at a very young age and then majored in studio art in college.

Like many other artists, I abandoned my creative dreams to find a steady job that
provided financial stability. I consider my art to be somewhat whimsical and is a direct reflection of the places I have lived. It is my hope that people will appreciate the whimsy and detail that I put into my work, not to mention put a smile on their faces.

I primarily work with watercolors. I enjoy all the imperfections it offers and truly believe it adds to the lightheartedness of my work. I currently am participating in a local Art Fair where I live that takes place every Saturday from June to October. It has been an incredible experience and has provided me the opportunity to see which of my designs interest people the most.