Joseph Segaran
Drawing my way through the world one line at a time
WHO?
Who am I? I am Joseph. A British-Sri Lankan-Dutch artist based in Amsterdam. I love to draw. I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. I also love to look, finding beauty and composition both in my daily life and by going in search of them. At art school, I specialised in in printmaking. Though I didn’t so much as touch a printing press since graduation, it continues to shape my work, combining my love of line, graphic and illustrative styles with handmade craftsmanship.
WHAT?
What do I make? I make ink drawings. Often of architecture, always with black ink, Focussing on and inspired by the rich and diverse variety of architecture in Amsterdam, I am particularly drawn to the stories behind buildings, often creating bespoke pieces of homes or favourite places.
In recent years, my practice has expanded to include looser, more immediate drawings of everyday impressions and observations, people, scenes, words and the small details that shape my daily life, often first captured in sketchbooks I carry with me everywhere.
WHERE?
Where does my inspiration come from? My work is rooted in Amsterdam, the city I moved to in my early twenties and fell instantly in love with. Its tall, narrow canal houses, elegant, yet ever so slightly wonky, have been a constant source of inspiration and in recent years my attention has shifted locally, finding inspiration in my own neighbourhood in Amsterdam Noord where I have lived for the past 15 years. Stylistically, I draw inspiration from both high and low brow art, always in awe of classical paintings and architecture, classical music and opera, ancient European and Asian mythologies, but also consistently inspired by animation, comics, graphic art and illustration.
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WHEN?
When did I start? I was born in York in 1984. I always loved drawing and went on to study Fine Art in Newcastle from 2003-2006, with exchange programmes at AKI ArtEZ and the Limassol School of Art. I moved to Amsterdam in 2006 and spent about 12 years exclusively drawing the Amsterdam architecture. From the pandemic in 2020 until last year, I had what I think of as a ‘creative break’ but returned to my work with fresh eyes and renewed energy in 2025, staring with a successful group exhibition in the summer and shortly afterwards, moving into my own studio at the Modestraat.
WHY?
Why I draw? For me, drawing a way of slowing down the world. I love to disappear into the rhythm of marks, repetition, and composition, somewhere between concentration and daydreaming. The subjects and themes are of course important, but it is the act of drawing itself, a meditative process, that keeps bringing me back to the paper. I also like to look. I think of the act of looking an integral part of the drawing process, which begins long before then pen touches the paper. I find myself actively searching for beauty in cities, museums and books, but often find it in simple daily things.
HOW?
How do I work? All of my work is drawn freehand with fine drawing pens and black ink. Each piece built line by line, direct, expressive nature of pen on paper. With no ‘undo button’ to endlessly correct and edit my work, I enjoy the challenge of working with little room for mistakes, but allowing space for those that inevitably occur.
Phone
0031 643 860 323
