I like to say that I’m a world citizen with a notebook in hand — sketching, writing, and documenting places with all senses present.
For over twenty years, I’ve lived in Oppède-le-Vieux, a medieval village perched in the Luberon hills of Provence. This landscape of stone, light, and olive groves has shaped my practice as an artist and storyteller. But my work extends beyond Provence — from Wales to Mallorca, from Mexico to Italy, I document encounters, observations, and the quiet moments that reveal the character of a place.
What I do
Sketching on location
I work primarily en plein air, capturing landscapes, architecture, and everyday scenes directly in my travel journals. My approach combines pencil, watercolor, ink, and collage — creating visual narratives that go beyond simple documentation.
Deep mapping
Through hand-drawn story maps and site-specific research, I explore the layers of meaning embedded in a place. These maps trace not just geography, but history, memory, and the spirit of a location. Recent projects include documenting medieval sites and an olive oil mill in the Luberon.
House & property portraits
I create commissioned drawings and watercolors of homes, estates, and significant places. These aren’t mere architectural renderings — they’re portraits that capture the soul and story of a property.
Creative writing
I write short stories about encounters and cultural moments, often exploring the gap between different ways of life. These stories appear on my blog, preserving the authenticity of expressions and customs from the places I encounter. (On Medium in my Carnet de Voyage publication in both Dutch and English)
Keeping a zibaldone
My work is rooted in the practice of keeping a zibaldone — a visual journal that combines observation, reflection, sketching, and note-taking. It’s part travelogue, part research notebook, part creative experiment.
Process
My practice is hands-on and site-based. I believe in thinking through making — whether that’s building sculptures to understand medieval construction, sketching to comprehend a landscape’s structure, or writing to process a cultural encounter. The work happens in the field, in the moment, with whatever materials are at hand.
Depending on the project and subject, I also work in printmaking (intaglio and linocut), creating limited edition prints inspired by the Provençal landscape and my travels.
Ivan Seymus: Collaborations & commissions
I’m available for:
- Custom hand-drawn maps of properties, estates, or significant locations
- House and property portraits
- Travel journal workshops and presentations
- Site-specific documentation projects
- Deep mapping collaborations
If you’re interested in working together, or licensing drawings you see, please contact me by email.
Copyright notice: All drawings,photographs, audio and video on this website are my own.