Cari C. Batchelar Studio

About

Chautauqua Lake and the Chautauqua Institution have inspired me since 1974 when I planted my flag there. That was my first winter on the Grounds and where I started my life after college.

Chautauqua gave me the chance to explore my creative spirit as a painter, photographer and writer. The peace, abundance of nature and lack of distractions gave me a clean slate upon which to work.To this day, much of my imagery is gleaned from experiences on and around the lake. ​Now, I am back full-time, free to focus on creativity with meaningful purpose. The studio remains my sanctuary.

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How  I got there...

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 Life has a way of coming full circle.

My adult life began in Chautauqua, NY at the age of 22. Throughout my life, starting at 14, I knew I wanted to be an artist. My ability was not natural; it came slowly with much effort. But the drive was there and carried me through life on all levels, not just as an aspiring artist. 

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The small steel town of Sharon, PA, is where I was born and grew up. My family lived in the Prospect Heights neighborhood that bordered Farrell, PA, and the Ohio line.

Our brand-new house, which my father drew the plans for and helped build, was located on the East Hill, above the valley where the Shenango River runs through town. It connected all the steel mills and industrial plants along its shore as it wound south to Pittsburgh, PA. The river wasn’t used for recreation until the 80s, during the decline of the steel industry. 

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By high school I longed to leave Sharon as its vitality faded and made me anxious to explore new horizons. Many of my generation felt the same then, leaving their hometowns to start fresh, be independent, and free. 

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It was the summer of ‘69, I had just graduated from Kennedy Catholic High. A time when the Vietnam war was on the news every evening at dinner time, Apollo 11 landed on the moon, and the Woodstock Music Festival became the emblem of a new era. There was a big world out there, our generation wanted to be a part of it. So off we went!

That same summer I moved on from the Shenango Valley to study art and earn a BFA in Painting from Edinboro State College (now Penn West Edinboro) in 1973.  I was admitted in June due to the high volume of freshman applications.

I got a parttime job cooking for the Riverside Inn in Cambridge Springs. No car, I rode my Gitane racing bike 6 miles to the Inn. At night, I’d take off the front wheel and snag a ride from one of the staff who also lived on the Edinboro Campus. 

Those four years introduced me to my closest friends and provided a safe harbor to discover who I was and what I wanted to be. Not ready to leave college life, nor able to afford an MFA, I did the next best thing: I got a job in the Art Dept. of Ohio University for the winter. This was my first time “snow-birding.” I found the concept compelling. It became a habit for future winters. Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, and St. Croix would be next.  

The story continues…

Moving to St. Croix was a leap of faith, but the long-term commitment became a life-changing experience. If it weren't for Chautauqua, however, I wouldn't have been prepared to seize the opportunities that jump-started my career as an artist there.

Today, my husband and I split our time between Chautauqua County and Allegheny County, PA, maintaining deep ties to both communities. We hold a special place in our hearts for the Chautauqua Institution—the very place where we met and married, and a community we proudly call our inspirational home.