Atelier Nomade

Atelier Nomade

Ivan Seymus


  • Travel journalsLink to my portfolio of pages in my travel journals
  • Hand-drawn mapsLink to my portfolio on hand drawn maps
  • About Ivan Seymus
  • 24 January 2023

    The cultural artefact in the Provençal landscape

    The cultural artefact in the Provençal landscape

    Drawing is that rare thing that gives you a chance of very close identification with something, or somebody, who is not you. A quote by John Berger that stays with me … Continue reading

    Deep Mapping
    France, Provence lifestyle

  • 21 January 2023

    Jean-Paul Clébert’s house

    Jean-Paul Clébert’s house

    Unfortunately less known and hard to find in translation, but for me, Jean-Paul Clébert is right up there with Giono and Bosco. Especially when you know that Guy Debord (Situationists) based his ‘dérive’ on the writing of Clébert. Continue reading

    Deep Mapping
    France, Provence lifestyle

  • 20 January 2023

    From Oppède-le-Vieux to Sénanque with a travel journal

    From Oppède-le-Vieux to Sénanque with a travel journal

    At a chance meeting, a story pops up. Not just a funny anecdote or forgotten legend, but a historical event spanning many centuries and featuring well-known sites. Reason enough to re-explore my familiar surroundings with a sketchbook and to look for traces of this history. Continue reading

    Deep Mapping
    France, Provence lifestyle

  • 17 January 2023

    Urban sketching and deep mapping

    Urban sketching and deep mapping

    Deep mapping & sketchnotes coming together in one project. Two short video’s to explain the idea. I believe that both practices complement each other quite nice. Continue reading

    Deep Mapping
    Provence lifestyle

  • 28 April 2021

    How I came to know ‘Le Geste’. (French mark making)

    How I came to know ‘Le Geste’. (French mark making)

    Sleight of hand, perfect moves, how should we call what the French describe as ‘Le Geste’ ? Continue reading

    Cultural Stories

  • 17 April 2020

    On keeping a zibaldone

    On keeping a zibaldone

    A zibaldone is an Italian vernacular commonplace book. The word means a heap of things or miscellany in Italian. A commonplace book can be described as a register of continuous learning. Continue reading

    Zibaldone

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About Me

World citizen with a notebook in hand to write, sketch and tell stories with all senses present.

icon traverler's notebook as zibaldone

This blog is a zibaldone in itself — part notebook, part stage, where fragments turn into text, images, and sometimes motion. More about me.

  • Instagram
  • Vimeo

Recent Posts

  • My zibaldone: Everyday life as a Prompt
  • My Zibaldone: A Journey Through My Reading Nooks
  • The barber’s minutes
  • Interview about sketching on location
  • The oldest house in Oppède-le-Vieux
  • A Double-chambered Vessel
  • Thinking through making
  • Coup d’État
  • Mexico 1986, my plein air sketch roots
  • A commissioned travel journal

ivanseymus

World citizen with a notebook in hand to write, sketch and tell stories with all senses present.

We share our driveway with badgers, deer, foxes an We share our driveway with badgers, deer, foxes and sometimes wild boar. Clues are everywhere and with a guide (pic3) by @thenaturalnavigator it becomes even more interesting. Although some signs were pretty obvious last week! (Pic4)
#naturejournaling #pleinairartist #ruralsketching #zibaldone #carnetdevoyage
Belgique à l’honneur au 9ème salon du Carnet de Vo Belgique à l’honneur au
9ème salon du
Carnet de Voyage
à Lourmarin!
12-13 septembre 2026
Porte de Lune: Creating, Sketching, Observing, Tra Porte de Lune: Creating, Sketching, Observing, Transforming  We installed a large, steel circle at the entrance of our garden. On one side the rough mountain views, on the other side the nicely pruned garden by the lady of the house.  As a carnettiste, I like to work on location—absorbing the landscape, tracing the lines of nature, and uncovering the symbolism of a place. This Porte de Lune (so called in the South of France), inspired by the Moon card in tarot, is one such symbol: a circular opening that marks not just a physical transition, but an invitation to slow down, observe, and become aware of the moments when you cross a threshold yourself.  The sketch in my zibaldone is not only a study of form and light, but also as a reflection on what it means to step through such a portal. Whether literally or as a metaphor for creativity, growth, or entering the unknown. The process of sketching on site, taking in the landscape, and translating it into my work is a way of understanding and engaging with the world and creating those story maps.  Stepping through our Porte de Lune you literally enter another world, a lush and natural garden created by @rldecourcelle  #PortedeLune #Sketchingonlocation #Carnettiste #TarotSymbolism #Zibaldone
The most adventurous and experimental part of maki The most adventurous and experimental part of making a house portrait is finding the right combination of tools.  For this small commission and final piece, I settled for:
@cansonpaper watercolor paper, 300g
@cooperativedescouleurs aquarelle pigments 
@jacquesherbin.official inks for lettering
@kuretakezig_france fudegokochi brushpen  (no picture of the finished and framed work ‘cause it’s a present to be delivered next week!)  #houseportrait #canson #watercolor #provence #luberon
Trammelant 2025. #dehaan #belleepoque Trammelant 2025. #dehaan #belleepoque
Framing prints. Have a peaceful Sunday! #printmaki Framing prints. Have a peaceful Sunday!
#printmaking #intaglio #provence #atelier #frames
Over de calade in Oppède-le-Vieux. Over de calade in Oppède-le-Vieux.
Exotic garden in Llubi and different kinds of palm Exotic garden in Llubi and different kinds of palm trees study.  #carnetdevoyage #naturejournaling #usk #urbansketchers #travelerscompany
Springtime brings nature in my zibaldone. Iris de Springtime brings nature in my zibaldone. Iris de Provence, seed pods of all sorts, an unlucky gecko that did not make it through winter, observing the perfect geometry …
#naturejournaling #provence #luberon #parcnaturelregionalduluberon #irisdeprovence #zibaldone #visualjournal
🌴Adios #Mallorca , you were an inspiration once ag 🌴Adios #Mallorca , you were an inspiration once again. #urbansketchersmallorca #travelersnotebook
Old, older, oldest The name of our village, Oppèd Old, older, oldest  The name of our village, Oppède-le-Vieux, says it all: ‘vieux’ (old in French). I wondered what the oldest house in the village would ultimately be. So we planned a Sunday walk up the hill via the medieval callade of Chemin de Tombereau …  Short story on my blog, link in bio.  #oppede #provence #traveljournal #sketch #deepmapping #ateliernomade #usk
Just realized that I posted the preliminary sketch Just realized that I posted the preliminary sketches but not the finished piece. A commissioned story map of an olive oil mill and its grounds in Oppède, Luberon, Provence. Size: A2
#deepmapping #senseofplace #spiritofplace #provence #pencilsketching #unescobiospherereserve
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Recent Posts

  • My zibaldone: Everyday life as a Prompt
  • My Zibaldone: A Journey Through My Reading Nooks
  • The barber’s minutes

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