Fashionably Late to Spring & Finding Beautiful Things Again

Close up of a floral arrangement during Fête of Florals.

These past several months have been marked by major transitions in my life, both professional and deeply personal. I won’t say too much more than that for now, but I made sure that I took the time that I needed to gather myself and regroup. During that process, I still found myself frequenting beautiful places, spaces, exploring and creating.

I made sure that I continued to lean into those things. Quietly, and without writing about them, I kept showing up to museums, galleries, concerts, weekend events, and even drawing class. To all the places that have always had a way of holding me steady. My birthday, the holidays, and the new year came and went, carrying with them memories and the beginnings of the first of anything without a loved one can bring. But beauty— as it tends to do — kept showing up. So I let it.

By the time March arrived, something shifted. I found myself not just attending but feeling again, in a way that made me feel as if my unique voice has returned. A one-day art fair. An art-inspired floral showcase. A spring exhibition that felt, somehow, like a door opening to the new season. And with it, the quiet but insistent pull back to this space.

So, hello again.

The first outing for me in early March came by way of a generous invitation — my drawing instructor, himself a member of the Stutz Artists Association, extended a welcome to Easel by Penrod, and I was glad to accept. Held annually within the walls of the Stutz Building in downtown Indianapolis, the event is a celebration of local artistry in the fullest sense: painters, sculptors, visionaries and more gathered across the multiple floors, each with something singular to offer.

It was my first time attending, and I arrived with an idea of what to expect as I frequent this building almost on a weekly basis, but not at this caliber. Upon check-in guests were greeted with a glass of prosecco, which felt exactly right as an opening note! From there, the evening unfolded with the particular pleasure of wandering through art with nowhere pressing to be. Some of the artists were familiar faces, and there is a specific delight in seeing what they’ve been up to creatively since you last looked. Others were entirely new to me, their work arriving as an official introduction, the kind that makes you excited to know more.

The cocktail attire dress code was suggested. I treated it as a delightful command, and, as an intense Scorpio is very much inclined to do, delivered with my own flair.

The dress code said cocktail attire…I said “And let’s add some sparkle!”

Easel by Penrod set the tone for the month, while the next outing came just in time for the arrival of the Spring Equinox, well-suited for the occasion.

Newfields, which holds a perennial (pun very much intended!) and cherished place in my art life, played host to its second annual Fête of Florals, and I made sure to be a guest for the second year in a row. I see this event as art and nature elevating and inspiring each other, something that speaks to my heart. Floral designers from across the country were invited to interpret select works from the museum's galleries through the gorgeous medium of botanical arrangement — and the results were, in a word, magnificent. To move through those spaces was to experience the artwork twice: once as the painter or sculptor intended, and once as reimagined through petals, stems, and extraordinary creative vision.

I mentioned that I attended this event last year as well, so returning this year I had an idea of what to expect. It was an exquisite visual feast.

Some of the floral arrangements and the artwork that inspired them…I even spotted Lee Krasner’s Towards One, as she painted it and as the designer echoed back in bloom form.

And speaking of feasts: local restaurants and vendors had stationed themselves throughout the floors, offering small bites and cocktail samplings — like the signature cocktail of the evening, the “Bloom-Tea-Ni”, that made the wandering feel blissfully unhurried and deliciously immersive. The dessert station, in particular, called to me. I lingered. I indulged. I indulged again! And in a moment of pure, regrettable distraction, I left without a business card. I intend to remedy that before next year.

Part of the dessert table, with a cotton candy tree, cake pops, and lollipops prepared with edible floral

As the weather grows warmer, I’m anticipating long afternoons in the gardens at Newfields, surrounded by brilliant blooms and the restorative joy of simply being exactly where I am.

In lace and tulle, I felt completely in my element!

My final outing of March arrived toward the end of the month, and it was a fitting close to what had already been a rich and visually generous few weeks.

The Spring Exhibition Series at Indy Art Center brings together students and artists of all ages and levels from across the state, region, and country. I experienced a full and beautiful range of what that looked like. This is a constant reminder that art belongs to everyone if they’re curious enough to show up for it.

While my drawing class is located at the historic Stutz Building (where I attended Easel by Penrod), this exhibition reminded me how much more of Indy Art Center there is to explore. Sculpture, glasswork, jewelry making when the schedule allows — the breadth of offerings is something I find myself increasingly drawn to…one class at a time!

The Spring Exhibition Series runs through May 31st, and I fully intend to return before it closes. Wonderfully by design, the Broad Ripple Art Fair takes place on the very same campus in mid-May, which means that particular visit is already written into my calendar.

March, as it turns out, was exactly what I need — a month that asked me to show up, and generously rewarded me for doing so. Three events, each of them reminding me to remember my “why” when it comes to my love for the world of art and beauty.

Fête of Florals arrangement

That’s what I intend to carry into the seasons ahead. There’s so much worth sharing — in the galleries and gardens, concert halls and exhibition spaces. I’ve spent years moving through these places with quiet joy, and all I want is to bring my experiences to this space more consistently. I’m showing up to share the beauty I’m fortunate enough to encounter, from the art world to the concert hall, and everywhere in between. Through the lens that is entirely and unapologetically my own.

I have so much ahead I’m blissfully delighted to write about, and I can’t wait to share it here in this space.