21 - 27 August 2026
Smiling Promises Carried from the Sea
Fleurs du Coeur at the Aldeburgh Beach Lookout
Thank you for the most amazing week!
‘Smiling Promises Carried from the Sea’ was such a wonderful week, bringing together creativity and wellbeing in the most beautiful of settings. For me, the most wonderful thing about the week was the people it drew together – family and friends and also many many visitors from near and far, whom I had the priviledge of welcoming.
So, if you were able to make it the show, a huge thank you You made it magic. And if you missed it…here’s hoping there will be a next time!
THE SHOW
This August, Fleurs du Coeur brings you Smiling Promises Carried from the Sea at the Aldeburgh Beach Lookout – a solo exhibition of original lino prints and poetry by Katie May, running from 21 to 27 August 2026.
Drawing on floriography, Katie’s work pairs hand-carved, hand-painted prints with her own verse to explore memory, emotion and the quiet symbolism of the living world.
For this show, the work turns towards the Suffolk coast – a landscape that shaped her – and the result is an unmissable body of work – each print a meditation on place, memory and the hidden language of the natural world.
Alongside the exhibition, a programme of creative and wellbeing events – from lino carving and family crafts to mindful photography and yoga – will be running throughout the week, with drop-in sessions available daily.
Booking are available online – details below.
THE VENUE
The Aldeburgh Beach Lookout is one of Suffolk’s most extraordinary spaces — a Grade II listed tower, built around 1830, sitting alone on the shingle of Aldeburgh beach. Once a working lookout, it has become what its custodians describe as a tiny art temple by the sea — a catalyst for creative ideas, isolated yet at the heart of cultural life on this stretch of the Suffolk coast.
It is a rare and special place to show and view work.
During the week, visitors will also have the chance to join Katie and friends for creative workshops and well being events. There will be the magical opportunity to work in one of the two tiny tower rooms, with glorious views across the sea, or to embrace the environment and create on the beach
THE SHOW - smiling promises carried from the sea
Each time Katie and her family members step on to the Aldeburgh beach, they are drawn by family tradition to hunt for a holey stone, and have amassed quite a collection over the years, each representing lucky promises sent by the sea!
Born and raised in Suffolk, and with a childhood deeply rooted in Aldeburgh — where her family made their home — this exhibition holds a particular significance for Katie. The work shown here weaves together a deep love for the Suffolk coast with whimsical storytelling; the particular character of this stretch of shoreline, the iconic details of Aldeburgh and the landscape surrounding it.
VISIT
Aldeburgh Beach Lookout
31 Crag Path, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, IP15 5BS
21 — 28 August 2026