Patrick Samuël
Artist & Adventurer
Patrick Samuël, born in 1964, is an artist and adventurer, well-educated, gentle in spirit but wild at heart. He is a French-Swiss dual citizen. He lived in several countries and grew up multilingual. Artistic talent and the scent of the wide world are in his DNA.
From a Swiss alpine village to Mexico-City
Patrick’s extraordinary life journey began in his teens when he immigrated with his family from a small Swiss alpine village to Mexico City. There, he studied the Colegio Suizo de México.
It was a Culture Shock!
Moving to the cut and thrust of Mexico City from the tranquility of Swiss rural life in my youth was both culture shock and a revelation simultaneously. I observed how different life could be from a very early age and this lust and love of travel truly began as did my love of art and the pursuit of my artistic talents.
Polyglot
Patrick Samuël is a polyglot bon vivant. He’s fluent in five languages.
So far, my life is a string of happy coincidences.
My language skills and attitude to life have provided me the the ability to communicate and adapt to any country that I visit. I feel both privileged and lucky to have met so many wonderful people from around the world who I might never have met without being able to speak their native tongue.
Côte d’Azur
Patrick Samuël is currently commuting between Switzerland and the South of France, where his artist’s studio is based.
There is something mysterious about the light of the Côte d’Azur, it is magical for me. The almost continuous sunshine streaming through my studio inspires my creative process.
Forces of Nature
The forces of nature are his inspiration to be humble towards life. Exploring the world is helping him to get the big picture.
Patrick Samuël remembers climbing tall trees in stormy weather as a boy to feel the forces of nature unleashed.
At that time, the aspiration for adventurous activities evolved. For example, climbing active volcanoes, extreme skiing, voyages on freighter and sailing vessels across stormy oceans or diving with humpback whales. He developed a passion for the sea and is a certified divemaster.
While swimming or diving, I forget about time. Moving under water means being weightless in a three-dimensional space. A state that normally only astronauts know.
The Ocean
A big source of inspiration for Patrick Samuël is the ocean. He usually starts his day with a long swim in the sea.
Plunging into the clear water at dawn and swimming for an hour invigorates both body and mind. Crawling requires rhythmic breathing and movement, and after some minutes I feel like I am gliding across the waters surface in a meditative state. The warm colours of the rising sun contrast with the cooled tones of the dark underwater world – an immense inspiration for my art and my everyday living.
Sailing the Oceans
Patrick Samuël’s passion for adventure is evident in his remarkable expeditions on the three-masted »Bark Europa«, a square rigger, built in 1911.
Cape to Cape
In 2019, he embarked on a two-month sailing expedition to Antarctica, covering the route from Ushuaia, Antarctica, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha and to Cape Town.
Rounding Cape Horn
In 2024, Samuël embarked on an epic expedition around Cape Horn, sailing from Auckland, NZ, to the Falkland Islands.
Antarctica
Samuël describes this expedition as »Following in the footsteps of the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton.« Indeed, the ship traced part of the route taken by Shackleton’s Endurance expedition of 1914–1917 to the Weddell Sea, Elephant Island, and South Georgia, where the famous explorer’s grave is located.
This two–month expedition from Tierra del Fuego to Antarctica, South Georgia and South Africa was breathtaking. Sailing on a ship so similar to the great Ernest Shackleton’s »Endurance« with forty crew members more than 100 years after his epic journey has left a deep impression on me.
My Antarctica series paintings and photographs are the enduring legacy of my own extraordinary and profound experience.
Rounding Cape Horn
Rounding Cape Horn has been a sailor’s rite of passage for centuries, symbolizing courage and seamanship.
The treacherous waters and unpredictable weather have consistently tested the limits of maritime skill and endurance, claiming the lives of over 10,000 seamen.
In 2024, Patrick Samuël embarks on this historic route, joining the ranks of legendary sailors who have navigated one of the world’s most challenging maritime passages.
Cape Horner
As part of a crew of 55, he sailed 6,200 nautical miles in 52 days on the historic sailing ship »Bark Europa« from Auckland, New Zealand to the Falklands.
An official circumnavigation of Cape Horn is only valid if you sail at least 3,000 NM from below 50° South in the west to 50° South in the east of the continent. Patrick Samuël can now officially call himself a Cape Horner.
This expedition was a unique and intense experience. For seven weeks we fell completely out of time. The sheer size of the Southern Ocean, the exposure to the elements, teaches you a certain humility towards life.
Samuël’s art, inspired by life
Patrick Samuël has the gift of recognising what is deeply familiar to him in all things. His art is as diverse as his life. The motifs reflect his rural origins, his way of life, his cosmopolitan vision and his love for adventure. What all of his artworks have in common is a bold and powerful expression, a singular vision, a great »joie de vivre«.