Debbi Kenote (b. 1991, Anacortes, WA) is an abstract painter who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Her upbringing on the West Coast of the United States exposed her to craft traditions such as woodworking and quilting, which remain influential to her process today. Having studied both painting and sculpture, she blends both traditions into her approach, threading the needle between shaped painting and painted sculpture. Kenote handcrafts stretchers, transforming the conventional rectangular canvas into complex forms. Her shaped canvases are similarly inspired by nostalgia, childhood memories, and her poetry practice.
Kenote holds an MFA in Sculpture from Brooklyn College and a BFA in Painting from Western Washington University. Her recent solo exhibitions include Cristin Tierney Gallery in New York (forthcoming), Baker-Hall in Miami, Duran Contemporain in Montreal, and My Pet Ram in New York. Selected group exhibitions include Kate Werble in New York, Fir Gallery in Beijing, Cob Gallery in London, Hawkins Headquarters in Atlanta, and SOIL Gallery in Seattle. She has been an artist-in-residence at Stove Works, the Ucross Foundation, PLOP, the Saltonstall Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, DNA, Nes, CAI Projects, and the Mineral School. Her work is part of the permanent OZ Art Collection and has been featured in The Art Newspaper, Art Fuse, Maake Magazine, Suboart, Art of Choice, Two Coats of Paint, and Hyperallergic. In 2026, she will be an artist-in-residence at the Elizabeth Murray Artist Residency.