Visitors to the Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch can marvel at new glass and steel sculptures.
But Tucson artist Alex Heveri wasn’t there on opening day over the weekend. She was busy preparing an oral argument to present to the Arizona Supreme Court.
Once she started practicing law, Heveri says, “I realized that I couldn’t live happily without expressing myself as an artist at the same time…. I thought originally, I had to choose between being an attorney and an artist, and then I realized that you can choose as many careers as you can juggle in your life.”
For the past 25 years, Heveri has been creating hand-cut Dalle de Verre glass and steel sculptures while balancing a career as a defense attorney. Due to her busy schedule, Heveri often forgoes lunch breaks and extracurriculars.
“There’s no such thing as let’s go to lunch,” Heveri says. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Regardless of the daunting workload, Heveri says she doesn’t feel overwhelmed doing both careers. Instead, they contribute to each other’s success.
“Being a full-time artist enables me to approach my law cases in a more creative fashion,” Heveri says. “And being a lawyer, you have to be very punctual. You can’t show up to court late and you better meet all of your due dates….[This] extreme integrity to meet deadlines allowed me to create an exhibit like [‘Glass in Flight’.]”
“Glass in Flight” is a culmination of two years. Her art has been exhibited nationwide since 2020.
Heveri hopes that viewing her work, which depicts gigantic insects and other nature themes, will harbor a desire to coexist with insects and allow people to appreciate their impact on the ecosystem.
And there is no better place to do it than the Flower Fields.
“We love sharing the beauty of the fields with people who love the outdoors and get the fact that the Flower Fields kind of elevate your mood,” says Fred, Clarke general manager of the Flower Fields. “Alex really connected with us on that.”
With 55 acres and about 80 million ranunculus flowers, Heveri expanded her exhibit, to 38 sculptures to fit the size and color of the venue. This year’s beauty will be especially bountiful because despite Southern California having seen one of its dryest years on record, the lack of rainfall helped with germination since the fields could control irrigation.
“For the last couple of years,” Clarke says, “I’ve said we had the best germination, but now I think I lied because this year has better germination than any year in my 19 years.”
To get the full effect of all that color, Heveri’s sculptures have been meticulously placed so that the sun shines through them at varying times of day. For example, a piece called “Ocean,” made to mimic the candy-like blues of the Pacific, is best viewed at noon as the sun shines through the glass.
In addition to “Glass in Flight,” the Flower Fields welcomes its first-ever living butterfly exhibit. For an additional $5, visitors can enjoy a greenhouse filled with butterflies.
“Little did I expect in my career that I would become a curator of a live butterfly exhibit!” Clarke says.
Other attractions include a cymbidium orchid greenhouse, a historical poinsettia display detailing Carlsbad’s history with the now-famous Christmas flower, Santa’s playground, wagon rides, a sweet pea maze, clover beds, and more.
Clarke has some advice for visitors: “Make sure your phone is charged…because you’re not going to believe your eyes.”
The Flower Fields is now open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Mother’s Day, May 11. Tickets sell fast, especially on weekends, so plan your visit.
