​ Jeni Cairns is an award winning artist and garden designer living in rural Cambridgeshire
Jeni has always been inspired by the natural landscape that has surrounded her most of her life. A childhood spent exploring the farmland, lanes and areas reclaimed by nature have left a lasting impression.
Her work covers a wide variety of mediums and disciplines including metal work, painting ,collage, sculpture, drawing, garden design and planting. “I find the medium of metal a perfect way to express my ideas on nature, there’s a delicacy yet enduring strength and resilience in nature as it always (I hope) finds a way to survive and flourish.”​
Jeni studied general art and design at Isle of Ely college and Fine Art at Derby university. Creating large scale Abstract and figurative paintings and drawings incorporating text and various materials.
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her work has taken her in a kind of full but ever expanding circle, after experimenting with welding and oxy acetylene cutting while at college and on her dads farm as a teenager she went off to uni to study painting. A move to her grandparents home and a career in garden design bought her back in touch with her love of nature, metal work and sculpture.
In Jeni’s garden design work she has always strived to find a balance between the needs of people and the needs of the wild beings that use the garden/space. Her garden design work has taken a pause as she recalibrates what she has learned from the herbs / weeds”and cocreating with Nature rather than imposing human will and control. “ More and more I am drawn to the belief that increasing a wildness within ourselves and strengthening our connection to nature will bring us back to our own true nature and balance will prevail”.
Three years ago huge shifts happened in her life and work and a time of intense learning of the “oldways” bought new levels of understanding and connection to the other than human. Learning from plants and listening to land more and more, tuning in to nature and starting to journey for herself and others has bought so many new layers to explore and adventure into.
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Jeni exhibited at the Prestigious Fresh air 2017. She has had four one man shows in Peterborough and Wisbech. With her largest to date currently on display at Peterborough museum until March 29th 2025 Her work has been accepted in the eastern open exhibition and vivacity's Peterborough open exhibition 2012 and 2014, has exhibited at National trusts Beningbrough hall 'oh wise owl 'exhibition, Cotswold sculpture park, Hilliers and Angelesey Abbey NT winter light exhibition 2022 and 2023, next up Cambridge botanic gardens . Jeni's career really blossomed since starting a garden design course nine years ago. Winning awards for her show gardens at Harrogate in 2011, 2012 and 2013 Jeni won Gold and best summer garden at RHS Hampton court 2014 and gold and best in show in the RHS Hampton 2016 show.
she opens her garden and studio in the summer. Jeni welcomes visits by appointment throughout the year. she will be taking part in a pop up Festive Doo Dah on dec 7th and 8th at Grange Farm in Benwick.
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Jeni has a range of her work for sale at VK gallery st ives, Hilly Horton in Thraspston, Haddenham art centre, Silver sheep in Tunbridge wells and JOJOs restaurant in Whitstable.
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