Matt Wood

Born and raised in a small town in Mississippi, Matt Wood, AIFD, has long been inspired by the lush natural scenery and rich graceful heritage of America’s Southern states. He is particularly moved by the seasons of the year, which mark not only the glorious changes in the physical world but moments in our lives as well. To talk with Matt, one soon learns that his personal mission has long been to bring the field of permanent botanicals into a new light...for individuals to see them as another way to express a love of the flora and fauna that surround each of us.

Matt is an exceptional designer, his incredible sense of color and texture, combined with his ability to breathe life into the same permanent botanicals he spends so much of his time creating in factories around the world is simply unparalleled. When designing, he gently turns the flower’s head to face the light source and flexes the the leaves as if they have just received a long, cool drink of fresh water. All these special touches result in floral designs that may fool even the most avid of gardeners.

As a past president of the American Institute of Floral Designers, a long-time professional floral design instructor and consultant to many companies in the floral industry, it is a privilege and honor to say that no one has influenced me more in the area of creative permanent floral design than Matt Wood. He is more  than a gifted floral designer, he is the epitome of an artist.

– Holly Money-Collins, AIFD

(from the intro to Matt’s book, The Seasonal Home)

Renée Heinicke

“All of my life I have been drawn to nature and having a love for the arts at a young age has allowed me to become very diverse in my work. From realism to the abstract, from figures to flowers.” Renée studied at F.I.T. and the Students Art League in New York City, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Paier College of Art. Having been promoted by numerous companies, she has been commissioned throughout the USA as well as in Japan, Hong Kong, France, Australia and Canada. Her diverse styles in art are showcased in elegant ballrooms and showrooms (including Winwards’ showrooms, of course!), jazz clubs to golf resorts, simple cafés to elegant restaurants. She has also worked with cruise lines, universities, hospitals and painted numerous bookcovers. With such a busy schedule, she  still finds time to do some personal works of art which have been awarded many times in juried art shows. Renée continues to travel and paint, expanding her skills, and now lives in a small town in New Hampshire surrounded by forests and natural beauty which she shares with her family and eight furry friends.

Terry Backer

As a member of Winward Silks visual design team, Terry Backer has 22 years of experience in both silk and fresh flowers, retail and wholesale. Terry, a native San Diegan for almost 20 years, developed a loose, naturalistic approach to her arrangements, creating a style all her own in the floral industry, in which she terms "I let nature be my teacher".  This unique look garnered her the prestigious  FAME design AWARD in Las Vegas in 1993. Her experience in custom floral assembly includes: Weddings, residential and model homes, hotels, commercial offices and restaurants. In addition, Terry's background includes working with interior designers- matching interiors and fabrics to custom floral displays.
     Her experience with Winward Silks includes: showroom concept, design, and set-up, product development, and nation-wide trade shows. Terry's numerous talents have brought her to Mexico, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Malaysia and all throughout the U.S. giving everything from workshops to formal presentations. In the last few years, Terry has spent most of her time developing Holiday floral products in China. Her latest product design can be seen in Winward’s Holiday floral collections.

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