Kerstin Stinson - Floral Farmer and Award Winning Artist

As a young girl growing up in the heritage village of Churchville on the Credit River, Kerstin would walk at the river's edge, through woodlands and meadows searching for and gathering wildflowers.

Her father, Paul, was her inspiration. As a young German growing up in Czechoslovakia he studied at the University of Prague. Paul's mother bought a farm adjacent to their brick factory and he left university at her request to run the operation, all which in the end was confiscated by the Russians. In Churchville he created a magnificent garden park - a true master gardener he was.

Already as a young child in returning to her German heritage, Kerstin would observe intricate "arts and crafts" gardens and also examples of beautiful victorian pressed flower arrangements. In 1983 Kerstin found herself in a rural setting and planted three little rows of perennials. She slowly expanded her collection of floral plants while while raising four children.

She has years of self-directed study and training in the art of dried-pressed flower arranging. The same applies to her gardening expertise and fresh flower arranging.

In 2002, Kerstin successfully participated and completed a national self-employment business training program supported by SEDI's Developing Enterprising Woman's Initiatives. Then she opened "Artistry in Flowers" in 2003, a successful year-round business in floral farming, event arrangements, floral art, floral landscape consulting and design workshops.

In 2004 Kerstin was recognized as one of 5 Canadian entrepreneurs who made outstanding progress in her personal and financial life as a SEDI program graduate and from over 1500 participants was selected by a panel of judges to be awarded the "Saving for Success" award.

In 2004, Kerstin was an Artist Guest on TV Ontario's show "More to Life". Kerstin was also profiled on the Global Prime TV documentary "Second Chance- Making it Work".

Kerstin is a member of the Ontario Farming Association and has a farm consisting of 72 acres, one acre of which is cultivated flowers and an "arts & crafts" garden which is often on the tours of Horticultural Societies.

From her gardens, which are masterpieces of bud and bloom encompassing structural and decorative embellishments she selects and presses fresh flowers from which she creates intricate art pieces. While in the past her designs have been of bouquets and wreaths, her latest works are inspired by the shape of dwarf and ornamental trees in winter hibernation.