Inside Art: April 2026

By Louise Seirmarco-Yale, Reston Artist

You probably never thought of yourself as an art collector, but chances are you’ve bought flowers for one reason or another. You have been collecting beauty all your life without hesitation.

Flowers succeed where art struggles because they are socially preapproved. They do not require any defense of taste. They are experienced as “emotion-first,” not “judgment-first,” so buyers feel they can choose what they like and be right.

People trust their judgment about floral “personalities” because there is no penalty for being wrong. Flowers do not live long, so our choices represent low risk. Art decisions are not permanent either.

We seem wired to assign personality to visual forms, especially when those forms resemble faces, like daisies or sunflowers, or gestures, like drooping tulips or upright lilies. This is much the same way we respond to abstract art. We read mood or emotion into landscapes through simple line, shape and color. We are always participants as viewers, whether enjoying nature or art.

Colors also suggest mood or temperament. Red might suggest assertive, direct expression, while white might seem more restrained and formal. Yellow, like sunflowers, may feel outgoing or social. Think of a field of sunflowers. Along with daisies, they suggest optimism: open, friendly and uncomplicated, with faces outward and nothing hidden. Sunflowers feel easy and approachable—and that feels good. Art can feel that way too if we drop unnecessary expectations and simply enjoy it.

Sometimes we project a backstory onto flowers, such as roses expressing love or lilies symbolizing reverence. Roses seem comforting and are often chosen when feelings need to be felt, not explained, much like art. Choose what feels good in the moment when it comes to art, just as you do with flowers. Is that arrangement connected to a favorite memory? Art tells stories, too.

In a recent conversation with Rachel Rinaldi, store operator and lead designer at Blooms Reston Floral in South Lakes Plaza, it became clear that when a designer lays out a range of possibilities, it frees the buyer to trust their artistic instincts and choose what feels right. Rachel prompts each client to uncover the personality—the feel—of an event and match it with the right flowers, whether soft and romantic or clean and modern. She designs with the event’s intention in mind. For 13 years, she has helped customers express artistic instincts through floral design. Experts like her, who listen and deliver satisfying results, are worth consulting. Then you decide.

You have been choosing floral beauty all your life. It was never that hard. No rules. Just instinct. What if we approached art the same way — choosing what simply feels good?

Trust yourself. You know what you like. You always have when choosing flowers.

Louise Seirmarco-Yale is a Reston artist, speaker, teacher, and author of “Art. You Be The Judge. Reawaken your Instincts and Enjoy Art On Your Own Terms”. (Amazon) or as a free download at www.peopleneedart.com/; email her: hello@peopleneedart.com , FB/IG @louise_seirmarco_art