York Place Studios takes a more active approach to the art world than your musty dealer or sterile…read moregallery. I popped in on my way to see my girlfriend (3 years of Art History BA mean I try and keep a foot into the art world). Interestingly, it's also currently under siege! CUB culture are in residence at the studios until May 2010 and whilst they are selling their artistic offerings, they are also being a touch more hands on with their art. Expect music, projections and a more instillation approach and the CUB crew are happy to discuss any bespoke commissions or consultation that you may have. As a warm up to the Brighton festival, this really is the place to be and I felt like I had fast forwarded to May. Aside from all the active distraction, they are exhibiting a great selection of screen prints, which I fell in love with (although sadly my student bank balance couldn't extend to leaving with one). Whilst the studio does not have a permanent website, I would recommend joining the facebook group to keep in the loop of all the events that are happening at York Place. A very Brightonian approach to art and well worth checking out.

Art At Five is a contemporary gallery that has been exhibiting work by national and international…read moreartists since 2003. Whilst other local galleries showcase a mix of mediums including ceramics, sculptures and screenprints, AAF focuses solely on paintings. Exhibitions change regularly with recurring themes seeming to revolve around bold abstracts, unusual portraits, colourful landscapes, the sea and flowers. Having a strong bias towards pop art and street art, I have to admit the work isn't my cup of tea at all. If you dream of waking up staring at an oil painting of vibrant poppies however, it's worth checking the gallery out. Prices are moderate for original canvases and you can buy work in monthly installments through Art Council England's interest free loan scheme, Own Art.

I'm not a fan of modern art... I know it probably takes a lot of skill, and it can be beautiful,…read morebut its rarely worth £500 of gorgeousness. Art At Five takes a more subtle approach to the movement, and offers some very very gorgeous paintings which have a very tactile and layered appearance... Of course, they subsequently cost £hundreds of pounds. The warm, welcoming colours would work in many rooms, but I doubt that many of these rooms owners would feel inclined to put that amount of money down for them.... Still if you're in the market to spend £600 plus on a fancy looking image, then this may be the place you find what you've been looking for. And anyone who plays Portishead in store is okay in my books.

If you love art and like the idea of buying a new painting, print, canvas, vase or sculpture, you…read morewant to make sure you are in town during the annual Artists Open Houses. This year's event takes place every weekend throughout May starting with Sat 1 & Sun 2 and ending on Sat 22 and Sun 23 May. The brochures haven't been distributed yet but I'm led to believe there's over a thousand artists taking part. As the title suggests, the aims and ethos behind AOH is the oppurtunity to buy work directly from local artists in their own houses, flats and studios. Admission is free and the majority of venues are open from 11am-6pm allowing you time to wander from one open house to another. All the venues are listed in the brochure with a small description of the artists taking place and the type of work they specialise in. What makes the event so special is the fact you can see a staggering volume and scope of work you might not discover otherwise. Sometimes it's screenprints, giclee prints, letterpress and mixed media canvases like bleach on flags, other times its all ceramics, sculptures and hand-made jewellery. I have to admit I've never made it to more than 30 different venues but I enjoy the challenge or walking from one house to the next, not knowing what to expect.

Brighton's Artists Open Houses Festival is an integral part of the Brighton Festival which runs…read moreevery year in May. It's an opportunity for local artists to open their houses and studios to the public, and for us it's great to see the art in it's own home, often where hours of work have been undertaken to produce the final product. There are numerous trails that run in various locations that make it easy to see a few houses in one go. Pick up a brochure to help you pick out certain places that you want to visit. Alternatively, you can wonder around Brighton at any time during May and usually see a house advertised in most locations. The art includes painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, jewelery and other crafts - it really has something for everyone. Entrance is free and many houses offer tea and cakes to purchase while you are there. Don't forget your purse - you will want to buy something, even if it's just a greeting card or two. Most houses are open Saturday and Sunday, between 11am and 6pm, but check in advance as opening times can vary. The AOH are truly another Brighton gem. If you don't get to do anything else during festival time, make sure you visit a house or two, you may discover the art of your dreams!

A lovely art gallery in a converted garage, Boxbird is run by local illustrator Graham Carter and…read morehis partner, print enthusiast Alice Teague. Together they have created a fun space that houses a sweet selection of limited edition screen and giclee prints, papercuts, woodcuts and originals. As well as showcasing Graham's recent work, there's pieces by aspiring and established local and national artists like Sally Elford, Zara Wood, Sam Chivers, Lucie Sheridan, Fanny Shorter and Anna Kyriaouc. They recently had an exhibition inspired by cult films but over all, the themes that seem to link most of the artists together is nostalgia and a passion for nature and the great outdoors. The variation of different trees, birds, owls, kids and patterns is a little too twee and innocent for my walls but plenty of people seem to adore them!

This gallery has a great set up with a printmaking studio at the back of a small gallery space, so…read moreyou can see a bit of where the action happens. Most shows have a commercial or illustrative slant and are largely screen-print based, a visit will most likely not be a difficult or challenging viewing experience, more playful.

This is another one of those little gems that Brighton is riddle with. The HUSH Art Cafe is an…read moreindependent gallery that also offers classes in and art and video production Its a wee bit small but deffo worth a stop off for an afternoon tea and peruse of the art work, its only open as a cafe in the afternoons and because of the size they ask that you make an appointment. The multimedia Arts company, that run the HUSH Art Cafe are educated and experience enough to ensure that the work exhibited is always fantastically modern and interesting. I would advise popping in if you a local art student or take an interest in modern art.

Lisa Mclaren-Clark's picture gallery is a lovely place, it has a warm tasteful feeling and the…read morepeople there are really nice. They are lovely to customers even if they can tell there is little chance they will buy and she is sincere about creating lovely art. Her paintings are done with care, diligence and are of an abstract style, the paintings I saw were about landscapes and some were very moving in a lovely way. Lisa Mclaren-Clark produces serious pieces of work aimed at serious collectors and at the higher end prices that such collectors pay, not silly money but they are in the hundreds of pounds. However if one of them takes your fancy I would say that they are done with great sincerity and are worth the price.

One of Brighton's best kept secrets is the Grey Area gallery…read more Housed in a basement on Queens Road, it's a truly independent gallery run by artists for artists and art lovers. Four years old this month, it usually shows 10-12 different exhibitions each year with a focus on established or emerging underground artists. Hilights so far have included Bob & Roberta Smith, Martha Rosler, Milly Thompson, Hannah Rae Alton and David Blandy. There's no mailing list sadly but you can find out what's on by following their blog or website. As well as regular shows, they have occasional artists' talks, spoken word events and art happenings. With astronomical rents in Brighton, it's amazing that Grey Area manages to keep going. Treasure it!

'Grey Area is an independent artist-run gallery in the centre of Brighton. Established in a…read moredilapidated basement in March 2006, Grey Area has become a platform for experimental contemporary art events in an idiosyncratic non-sterile project space.' - http://thegrey-area.blogspot.com/ This gallery is situated underground in a basement in Brighton. They run a series of contemporary art shows from the seemingly obscure to the topical. Check out the blog link for up and coming shows, they always seem to be doing something startling and interesting even if its an outside event that see them emerging from the basement into the likes of Fabrica.

Awesome local gallery that specialises in urban, underground and graffiti art. The curators - Dan…read moreand Jenny - are passionate about what they do and put on interesting exhibitions by local and national artists. As well as group shows, visitors have seen solo exhbitions by Peter Blake, Dan Baldwin, James Kauty, Stanley Donwood, Richard Heeps and Ben Allan. All the work is for sale and there's a second, smaller space upstairs with a mix of ceramics, limited edition screen prints and mixed media pieces. If you want to find out about forthcoming shows and private views, join the Ink-d mailing list. Also check out their bigger, more commercial, sister gallery - artrepublic on Bond Street.

Tucked between a Tattoo parlour and a hairdressers, Ink_d at the bottom of North Road is easy to…read moremiss but worth seeking out if you want to discover original, innovative art that doesn't come with an eye-watering price tag. Among the featured artists at the moment are Stanley Donwood (lino prints from Radiohead's backroom boy), Carrie Reichardt aka The Baroness (subversive ceramics) and Eine and Zeus (typographical troublemakers responsible for the unmissable mural on the corner of Gardner Street and Church Street). Arranged on three compact floors, the gallery is currently holding a studio clear out, which is great opportunity to pick up some bargain limited edition prints. The clear out runs until February 21.