From early childhood in Zimbabwe/Rhodesia, inspired initially by the artwork of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, Michelangelo, Velazquez, Vermeer, the Impressionists, and many others, Peter Batchelor developed a passion for drawing and painting, finding the challenges of capturing the human face especially rewarding and challenging.

After briefly studying Fine Art in Durban, South Africa, he left that continent and went "walkabout" for four years. He immersed himself in the different cultures, learning as much of each language as possible, and taking odd jobs here and there to finance his travels.
These varied from labouring on building sites, to crewing on the 30 metre schooner belonging to (and captained by) a close diving friend of the late Jaques Cousteau.
During these years, he did little artwork.

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