Nature Never Far Alej ez art at St Ann’s Well Gardens
The Friends of St Ann’s Well Gardens present
Alej ez art – Nature Never Far
The Garden Cafe, Somerhill Road, Hove
1 February – 31 March 2026
Nature Never Far brings together a selection of my prints inspired by the everyday closeness of nature in Brighton and Hove. From city gardens and squares to the nearby coast and South Downs, this exhibition reflects how green spaces, wildlife, and open skies quietly shape daily life here.
Shown at the Garden Café in St Ann’s Well Gardens, the work celebrates a place that has long been part of my own routine and imagination. The exhibition looks at nature as something lived with rather than visited — present in walks, swims, pauses on benches, and moments of attention. Even in the city, nature is never far.
I am delighted by the invitation to put on an art show at the Garden Café, organised by The Friends of St Ann’s Well Gardens, in February and March 2026.
I love St Ann’s Well Gardens. Since I moved to Brighton back in 2007, you could have easily spotted me there, either playing tennis or just going for a stroll. During lockdown, I used to go for a run most days, and the park was part of my running route. I love wildlife, flora, trees, and birds, and St Ann’s Well Garden is a perfect green lung in the heart of the city of Brighton and Hove. Sometimes, on my strolls around the park, I imagine the nearby grassy hills with windmill sails that Constable painted when he was in Brighton in the 1820s.
Since 2009, I have been creating prints inspired by coastal and countryside scenes, architecture, flora, fauna, mythological motifs, and glimpses of everyday life. Each piece reflects my aim to unite precision with emotion, creating images that are both crafted and felt. Each of my works begins with hand-drawn black ink line work, later coloured digitally to preserve the expressive character of the drawing while adding tones that range from vibrant to serene. Ink is the backbone of my work; colour is the soul. I issue my prints as limited editions, each one individually signed, dated, and numbered.
Nature and architecture
Brunswick Square in Hove, where I live. That bench is where I often have my lunch in the summer, surrounded by flowers and birds. The sea, where I swim most days, is there too. Nature in the city of Brighton and Hove is never far. You only have to look for it.
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Gorse Cherry Blossom and Blue Tits at Brunswick Square
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Adelaide Crescent Gardens and the Sea
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Pine Trees by the Sea at Brunswick Square Brighton
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A Special Mention
As a Brighton artist, I feel proud to have collaborated with and worked for Brighton Girls GDST, creating an image for The Temple with bees buzzing among hollyhocks; and for BOAT, Brighton Open Air Theatre, where, between performances, flowers and insects come out to play.
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Time Between Plays at Brighton Open Air Theatre BOAT
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The Hive at the Temple Brighton Girls
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The Pond at Charleston House Bloomsbury
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Sussex Landscapes
By bus, train, walking, or car, the countryside and the coast, with their beautiful nature, are just a stone’s throw from home. Changing with the seasons, they invite open skies and walks full of health benefits.
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South Downs Way Winter Walks
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From Hope Gap to the Seven Sisters White Cliffs Spring
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Beacon Mill from Rottingdean Village to Brighton
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The Village of Rottingdean Beacon Mill and the Sea
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Beachy Head Green Gold Fields The Bench under Hawthorn Tree
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The Path through the Flint Wall Down to Cuckmere Valley Green Gold Fields
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Beachy Head Lighthouse Chalk Cliffs Golden Fields of High Grass and the Sea
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Beachy Head Wild Meadows Chalk and Flint Cliffs and the Sea
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Cuckmere Cottages Old Green Seven Sisters Cliffs
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Seven Sisters Walk Cuckmere Haven to Birling Gap Amber
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The Seven Sisters
The most iconic landmark in the South Downs. I have depicted these imposing white chalk cliffs on many occasions; I never get tired of walking over the brows and the swales.
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Two Lighthouses Belle Tout to Beachy Head
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A Stop in the South Downs Way The Seven Sisters from Birling Gap
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Seven Sisters White Cliffs from Hope Gap
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Man made Nature
One of the unique characteristics of Brighton architecture are the streets with bow fronted elevations, so every room has views of the sea
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Adelaide Crescent Brighton and Hove Amber
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Brunswick Place Brighton Architecture by the Sea Amber
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Brunswick Terrace Brighton Seafront
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Brunswick Square a walk to the Regency Town House
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Starling murmuration
Every winter at dusk these little birds display a mesmerising performance with their aligned flying formations of thousands. A spectacle of nature that happens in our doorstep.
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Palace Pier Lights Starling Murmuration
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St Ann’s Well Gardens
St Ann’s Well Gardens is a green space in Hove, East Sussex, about half a mile’s walk from the shore. The grounds are well known for an iron-rich spring, now called St Ann’s Well. In this case, the name “St Ann” does not point to a saint. Instead, it is said to come from an old tale of Annafrieda, a Saxon woman whose sweetheart was slain. By wonder, her tears became the iron spring that is now called St Ann’s Well.
The Friends of St Ann’s Well Gardens
The Friends group began in 2007 to help plan the hundred-year marking of St Ann’s Well Gardens. It went so well that they went on to run a May fair each year until 2022. Along the way they held days for wildlife, art shows, litter picks, and raised a great deal of money to help make the Gardens better.
https://www.friendsofstannswellgardens.org
St Ann’s Tennis
St Ann’s Tennis manages and maintains the eight tennis courts at St Ann’s Well Gardens, Hove. It is a Community Interest Company and a registered member of the Lawn Tennis Association. You can book courts to play, train with coaches and join their tournament.