What I Do
(involving pens and
a lot of preactice)
My art revolves around drawing. With line, precision, and a keen eye, I work freehand in black ink, using extremely fine pens and a steady hand. Each work is 100% hand-drawn (no computers, no Photoshop, no “undo” button), built line by line, leaving little room for mistakes, but allowing space for those that inevitably occur.
For me, drawing is a way of slowing down the world. I love to disappear into the rhythm of marks, repetition, and focus, 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 drawing me back to the paper.
Amsterdam Drawings, Sketchbooks, and Other Adventures
When I moved to Amsterdam in 2006 I, like many before me, fell instantly in love with the city’s architecture, Especially drawn to the iconic rows canal houses, tall, narrow, and elegant, leaning slightly against each other in neat rows. I made many drawings of the city's buildings, and began to produce bespoke artworks of a whole variety of Amsterdam's buildings; sixteenth-century canal houses, wonky warehouses, decadent theatres, beautiful churches and towers, Amsterdam School buildings, and the occasional stark glass-and-concrete intruder pushing its way between them.
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My architectural drawings are often detailed portraits of buildings with personal meaning, where structure and precision take centre stage. In recent years, however, my work has loosened up. I often draw everyday impressions, scenes spotted while cycling through the city, small moments, odd details, and quiet observations, usually captured in the sketchbooks I carry with me everywhere I go. I am currently working on translating the immediacy, looseness, and subtle humour of these sketchbook drawings into larger, more developed artworks.
After what I think of as a creative break, from 2019 until last summer, I returned to my practice with fresh eyes and renewed energy. In 2025, I moved into my own studio space on the Modestraat in Amsterdam and held an exhibition in the Berenstraat, in the Nine Streets, with some fellow artists. The warm response, and the sales that followed, gave me the final nudge to dive back into my work more professionally.
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I also enjoy taking commissions, creating custom drawings of homes, shops or businesses, favourite buildings, and other meaningful places, resulting in unique, bespoke works of art.
Background, Studies, and Other Useful Facts
I was born in 1984 and am a British–Sri Lankan artist (since 2025, also officially Dutch). I studied Fine Art at university in Newcastle, UK, specialising in printmaking. During my studies, I took part in exchange programmes at AKI ArtEZ in Enschede and at the Limassol School of Art in Cyprus.
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Over the years, I have exhibited my work in both solo and group exhibitions. My background in printmaking continues to shape my drawing practice, particularly my love of line, craftsmanship, and the slightly obsessive pursuit of detail.
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​I work primarily with black ink, creating entirely handmade drawings using fine drawing pens and black ink. I also work on commission, making custom drawings of homes, shops, and other meaningful places. Studio visits are possible by appointment.