Living the Life: Q & A with local artist Kelsy Patnaude
By Sarah Winters
Newport Life talked with artist Kelsy Patnaude about her upcoming exhibition at the Newport Art Museum. “Kelsy Patnaude At Sea” (with Cole Brauer) will be unveiled on October 25th, with an opening reception from 5-7 p.m., and will be on view through April 27th.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you come to be in Newport?
A: I am originally from Worcester, Mass., but my parents always had a place in Newport. We would come for the summers and weekends in the winter. I went to Salve Regina University for my undergrad and decided to stay.
Q: What’s your art background?
A: I have an undergraduate degree in Studio Art from Salve Regina and an MFA in Visual Arts from Lesley University College of Art & Design in Cambridge, Mass.
Q: How would you describe your medium and creative process?
A: I would call myself a painter, although I bring a lot of multimedia elements to my work including writing. My creative process always originates in research, whether looking at historical seafaring journals, interviewing fellow women in the sailing industry, or just simply spending time on the water.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for this body of work, “Kelsy Patnaude At Sea” (with Cole Brauer)?
A: I wanted to tell an epic tale in a scale that is deserving of Cole’s voyage around the world. What she accomplished on her own is huge – sailing around the world is no joke and she completely changed the sport for women while doing it. I have always been fascinated with 19th century panoramas and their ability to consume their contemporary audiences in experiences they never normally would have encountered. This became the perfect pairing with what Cole was doing.
[Editor’s note: Cole Brauer was the first woman from the United States to sail single-handed around the world nonstop and unassisted as part of the 2023-2024 Global Solo Challenge, which she finished on March 7, 2024, at the age of 29, placing second overall.]
Q: How did you decide to tell Cole Brauer’s story? How did your own background of sailing help your process?
A: Cole and I met while racing a few years ago and one evening in spring 2023, Cole, myself, and our friend Serena got together in my garden after a particularly rough regatta in Miami. We discussed how things were not right for women in sailing. After a few glasses of champagne, we began suggesting and fantasizing the positive changes we would do for women in the industry if we were given the platforms for our voices to be heard. When I watched Cole cross the finish in Spain, I thought, wow she’s really done it and everyone is watching.
Q: What has it been like working with Dodie Kazanjian of Art&Newport to curate this exhibition?
A: I feel extremely lucky to have this chance to work with Dodie in this capacity. She is a powerhouse, and it is such an honor to have her experience and insight applied to my work.
Q: What’s some advice you have for other artists trying to break out in the local art scene?
A: I remember an advisor in grad school telling us to go to everything, see every show, attend every opening because the other artists around you are now your community, and it is very important to support that community.
Q: Have you been to any other exhibitions recently that have inspired you?
A: Always the Turner Galleries at Tate Britain in London. Seeing how expressively JMW Turner painted the power, awe, and terror of the sea never gets old for me. The “Grand Panorama…” that was displayed at the New Bedford Whaling Museum was a huge inspiration and led me to use the panorama as a resource for all my work that followed.
Read more installments from our Living the Life series, spotlighting people and happenings around town.
