Artists Open
Houses May 2026
2,3 & 4 | 9&10 | 16&17 | 23, 24 & 25
This is an archive of the May 2026 open house festival. View all
6 Alej ez love life love art!
Flat 5, 16 Brunswick Sq, Hove, BN3 1EH
Let’s celebrate Brighton at its best: its vibrant, multicultural people; the blue skies and seas of summer days; and the historic, beautiful landmarks across the city. Let’s intertwine these living experiences and express them through art.
I am Alej Ez, shortened from Alejandro Martinez Rodriguez. I am an architect and printmaker from Seville, Spain, living and working in Brighton. I am the AOH 2026 brochure cover artist. My subjects include Sussex landscapes, the South Downs, the cliffs and cities, as well as architectural, floral, and storytelling scenes with people. I create pigment prints from hand-drawn monochrome ink drawings, to which I apply colour digitally, and issue them as limited editions.
Type of venue:
house
Facilities
Card Payment Facility
Tap water refill available
Archived open house
Location:
Flat 5, 16 Brunswick Sq, Hove, BN3 1EH
Modern Bathers Brighton
alej ez
Angel Basketball
alej ez
Two friends pause at Sea Lanes before their swim. The sun hits the water and the city shimmers behind them. You can spot the Volks Railway, Royal Crescent, Marine Parade, Madeira Terrace, and further out, the Palace Pier and the i360. This print comes out of my love of swimming, architecture, the human figure, and love itself. “All shall be well.” — Julian of Norwich. It became the cover for the Artists Open Houses Festival 2026. I build the image from ink drawings, piece them together as a collage, then add colour digitally. The final work exists as a digital original, printed as a limited edition using archival inks on paper, from A0 to A4. The title Modern Bathers Brighton holds a few threads: Modern nods to Modernism—Cézanne, Picasso, and British painters like Craxton and Piper. Bathers brings in Brighton’s sea-swimming history, especially Martha Gunn, and my own life in the water, training year-round with Out to Swim. Brighton is a constructed view—a collage of places rather than a single viewpoint—drawn from time spent swimming and walking the seafront.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
Angel Basketball, Brighton A mother and son play basketball by the sea. The ball becomes a sun. I once heard that Jean Cocteau based his angels on sailors playing basketball—here mine is real, grounded, raising a child. This image was also selected for the Artists Open Houses Festival 2026. I build the image from ink drawings, piece them together as a collage, then add colour digitally. The final work exists as a digital original, printed as a limited edition using archival inks on paper, from A0 to A4. The setting is the Brighton seafront, close to where I live and worked as artist in residence with the West Pier Trust. The basketball court, the i360, the sailing club, the arches—everything is part of daily life here. Even the golden spiral and the dancers come from Thursday evenings on the seafront. Like all my work, it’s a mix of observation, memory, and invention—held together through drawing.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
Sunday Harvest at the Allotment A figure walks down the hill with a basket of vegetables balanced on his head. Behind him, the red-brick London Road Viaduct frames the view, opening through its arches to the city and the sea beyond, where the Rampion Wind Farm sits on the horizon. The print is a small celebration of everyday life—growing food, moving through the city, and being outdoors under clear skies. This third design for the Artists Open Houses Festival features my friend Dominic, who grows vegetables on his allotment and shares them generously. He also helps run Round Hill Green Spaces, working to make his neighbourhood greener. The image is built from ink drawings, assembled into a collage and coloured digitally. It exists as a digital original and is released as a limited edition pigment print on archival paper, from A0 to A4.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
Dragons Ditty – Royal Pavilion Garden The Royal Pavilion rises from gardens of jasmine and sweet william, while dragons weave, fly, and mingle among the flowers. The sky above becomes a patterned field—Japanese-inspired clouds, blossoming trees, and geometric motifs merging with nature. This print nods to two of my favourite artists: Hokusai, for his natural motifs and compositional approach, and Chen Rong, whose Nine Dragons handscroll I saw at the V&A in 2013. I built the image from separate ink drawings, each like a plate, layered into a single design. The Pavilion itself is John Nash’s 1815 Indo-Saracenic creation—domes, towers, and minarets painted to look like Bath stone.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
Butterfly Dragon Gliding through the Porte Cochere A mischievous bearded dragon sails through the Pavilion’s Porte-Cochere. Clouds, blossoming branches, birds, and geometric patterns echo Hokusai, while the dragons recall Chen Rong’s Nine Dragons. Built from layered ink drawings, each sheet contributes to the final print.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
Twin Dragons Flying through the India Gate Two playful dragons twist through the India Gate at the Pavilion Garden. Layers of architecture, garden, sky, and dragon create a lively, flowing composition inspired by Hokusai and Chen Rong.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
Songbird Dragon Traversing the North Gate A bearded dragon squeezes through the North Gate, dancing through clouds, trees, and garden paths. As with the others, the image comes together from separate ink drawings, echoing my homage to Hokusai and Chen Rong.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
West Pier Murmuration Crescent Moon The remains of Brighton’s West Pier at sunset, with a murmuration of starlings shifting across the sky beneath a crescent moon. Brighton’s West Pier Brighton’s West Pier stretches out over the water, first built in 1866 as a thin line between land and sea. Designed by Eugenius Birch, it relied on iron, tides, and a quiet elegance. Its screw-piles anchor it into the seabed, while the open lattice structure allows the sea to pass through. Originally a place for promenading—footsteps, parasols, and slow seaside rituals—it gradually expanded. Bandstands, kiosks, and small structures appeared along its length, leading to a pavilion at the far end. Later, a concert hall brought music and crowds, turning it into a lively destination. The design balances engineering and ornament, strength and lightness. It feels both practical and theatrical—a structure built to endure but also to delight. The pier closed in 1975, and time took over. Storms, fire, and decay reduced it to its frame. What remains now is something closer to a drawing in space—an unfinished line that still holds the memory of movement, people, and its reach into the sea. In 2019, I held an exhibition at the West Pier Centre, where I showed my work. This structure continues to appear throughout my prints. New print series: The Belt of Venus The Belt of Venus is a soft pink glow that appears just before sunrise or after sunset, hovering above the horizon opposite the sun. It’s caused by sunlight scattering through the atmosphere, often separated from the horizon by the darker band of Earth’s shadow. In winter, the colour can feel sharper and more vivid. I’m often looking up—through windows at night, cycling along the seafront, or walking past Brunswick Square in Hove. These skies, along with childhood evenings spent studying constellations with a torch and a sky map, have led to a new series of prints.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
Adelaide Hove Waxing Crescent Moon A row of beach huts lines the promenade, like delicate shells resting in the sun, their padlocks catching the light like half-closed eyes. Behind them, Adelaide Crescent sweeps across the scene, its peach and cream façades softly lit. A lone lamppost stands in the foreground, quietly holding its place. The ground feels warm, the sea just out of sight, and the air carries the stillness of a moment not quite finished. Historic Brighton and Hove This print captures the familiar rhythm of Brighton and Hove’s beach huts, set against Adelaide Crescent—one of the grandest open crescents in the area. Building began in 1830 to the designs of Decimus Burton and was completed around 1860. Alongside the developments at Kemp Town and Brunswick Town, it remains one of the defining pre-Victorian residential schemes in Brighton and Hove. New print series: The Belt of Venus The Belt of Venus is a soft pink glow that appears just before sunrise or after sunset, hovering above the horizon opposite the sun. It’s caused by sunlight scattering through the atmosphere, often separated from the horizon by the darker band of Earth’s shadow. In winter, the colour can feel sharper and more vivid. I’m often looking up—through windows at night, cycling along the seafront, or walking past Brunswick Square in Hove. These skies, along with childhood evenings spent studying constellations with a torch and a sky map, have led to a new series of prints.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
Bandstand Full Moon Enchantment This print captures two much-loved landmarks along the Brighton and Hove promenade: the Palace Pier and the Bandstand. The Brighton Bandstand, built in 1884, is known for its ornate Victorian ironwork and elegant circular form. Often called the “Birdcage,” it sits on the seafront overlooking the beach and is a favourite spot for weddings, music, and quiet moments by the sea. Brighton Palace Pier, which opened in 1899, is the city’s best-known seaside attraction. Stretching out over the water, it is filled with fairground rides, arcades, and food stalls, and remains a lively symbol of Brighton’s culture, fun, and coastal heritage. New print series: The Belt of Venus The Belt of Venus is a soft pink glow that appears just before sunrise or after sunset, hovering above the horizon opposite the sun. It’s caused by sunlight scattering through the atmosphere, often separated from the horizon by the darker band of Earth’s shadow. In winter, the colour can feel sharper and more vivid. I’m often looking up—through windows at night, cycling along the seafront, or walking past Brunswick Square in Hove. These skies, along with childhood evenings spent studying constellations with a torch and a sky map, have led to a new series of prints.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
A4 £40 - A3 £52 - A2 £132 - A1 £180 - A0 £310
Buy/contact
West Pier Cormorants Belt of Venus The remains of the iconic Brighton West Pier and the Rampion Wind Farm rest on a perfect, still sea in the evening light. Cormorants and other birds gather as the light fades New print series: The Belt of Venus The Belt of Venus is a soft pink glow that appears just before sunrise or after sunset, hovering above the horizon opposite the sun. It’s caused by sunlight scattering through the atmosphere, often separated from the horizon by the darker band of Earth’s shadow. In winter, the colour can feel sharper and more vivid. I’m often looking up—through windows at night, cycling along the seafront, or walking past Brunswick Square in Hove. These skies, along with childhood evenings spent studying constellations with a torch and a sky map, have led to a new series of prints.
Alej Ez
Limited edition pigment print from original monochrome ink drawings coloured digitally
£192 panoramic print 124 x 30 cm
Buy/contact