Some artists work with paint, others with pencil or pastels. Teresa Waite works with flowers. Each and every floral design she creates at the Art of Flowers is a work of art. Teresa has been in the floral industry for 20 years. She traveled the world learning about exotic flowers and international floral design before opening the Art of Flowers in Weston Florida 16 years ago. She earned a certificate in floral design from expert Chuck Bannow at his Floral Design School in Michigan. With a thirst for more knowledge, she moved to Europe. “First I studied under a private teacher in Frankfurt, Germany, to learn the traditional European styles of floral design including hand tied bouquets,” she explains. “I then moved to England to attend the City and Guilds Institute floral program where I learned abstract European designs using natural materials, as well as the history and meaning of flowers.” From England she moved to Tokyo, Japan to study Japanese Ikibana design under a floral specialist. “I wanted to learn Zen designs,” states Teresa. “I also learned the Asian meaning and styles of flowers for Japan, India and China.” Eager to experience more Oriental culture , she moved to Shanghai, China. “I actually taught floral design while living in China and decorating important hotels like the Portman Ritz Carlton Shanghai. That was a wonderful experience.” Upon returning to the USA, Teresa and her family decided to move to Weston Florida. “We picked Weston because it is such a nice community, an international Latin environment and the people here truly appreciate art and culture,” she explains. Born in Colombia, South America and fluent in English and Spanish, she is frequently asked to represent the Colombian Floral Growers Association at international trade shows to exhibit her global high style designs.