Today we’d like to introduce you to David Warner
Hi David, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I first picked up a balloon and started twisting when I was 11 or 12 years old. I am a huge Magic fan and two of my friends were Balloon Artists- they offered to show me how to make some basic balloon animals (sword, dog, flower, etc.) if I would teach them some magic tricks. At first I wasn’t very interested because I thought that’s all you could make- the basics, but I quickly learned that there was much more to it than that! Around the time I started, a new balloon manufacturer, Betallic, came on the market. Their balloons were much higher quality than the leading brand which has since gone bankrupt. Because of the innovations in the industry at the time, Balloon Artists were able to create things that literally weren’t possible before. People were making dresses that you could actually wear, life-size motorcycles and cars and walk-through exhibits that used tens and hundreds of thousands of balloons! I volunteered to help a friend who I consider my unofficial mentor on a project he was leading that involved Balloon Artists from around the world “Balloonalot”, which was a Camelot themed Guinness World Record attempt for the largest balloon sculpture. I believe that project involved over 100,000 balloons. After that I was hooked. A few years later, I attended my first balloon Art convention, FLOAT, which drew attendees from all over the world and featured instructors like Larry Moss, who was and still is one of my biggest inspirations.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Making a living as an artist is difficult, as any artist will tell you, no matter what their chosen medium is. Given the fragile, temporary form that I have chosen, I feel it is even more difficult than it might be for an artist who paints or sculpts, whose work will last forever if properly preserved. One of the biggest setbacks that I face as a Balloon Artist is being taken seriously. Given the playful nature of balloons, people most often associate it with clowns and children’s birthday parties and we are not treated with the same respect as the DJ, for instance in the sense that people undervalue what it is that we do, the years we’ve spent perfecting our craft and the skill it takes to turn simple latex balloons into whatever it is that is requested of us. They often mistakenly assume that balloons are just for kids, but that’s just not true. Over the years, I’ve Entertained and Decorated for Fortune 500 companies and worked events anywhere from Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, to Trade Shows, Grand Openings and even created Sculptures to celebrate the launch of a new car model release. I love creating things for “unusual” events as I feel Balloons are one of the most versatile mediums out there that can fit any event if only given the chance.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I create Balloon Sculptures and I use that term specifically to differentiate what I do from “Balloon Animals”, because not only do I make more than just animals, but at a certain point the art form is elevated from the simple dog that everyone has seen before to a life-size caricature of a person, for example, which I have done numerous times.
I am known for taking a clients vision or request, no matter how “vague” or open-ended it may be, and bringing it to life, albeit temporarily, given the relatively short lifespan of balloons. On that note, however, my clients are often surprised at how long my creations last! My most recent exhibition was a giant dragon that measured over 15 feet long guarding its treasure hoard in a cave and was on display at a local library for over 2 months.
I am most proud of breaking the Guinness World Record for the Largest Modelling Balloon Sculpture By An Individual and holding the record for going on 10 years, now. As the name suggests, this is a solo feat and something as simple as asking another person to hold a balloon for me would have disqualified me immediately. This sculpture measured over 70 feet long and used nearly 4,000 balloons. Workdays ranged anywhere from 8-10 hours and after 2 days of repeatedly inflating, tying and twisting hundreds of balloons, my fingertips were blistered and bleeding, so, I literally put my blood, sweat and tears into the project and was beyond excited when the measurements were confirmed and it was officially certified by Guinness. Earlier that same year I was asked to join the team that set the World Record for the Largest Modelling Balloon Sculpture By A Team and we successfully achieved that goal- even though it was later beaten by a much larger group from China, that remains one of my proudest achievements, as well. My third biggest moment was when I created a parade float for the biggest event in my hometown, Cincinnati, Ohio for the Newport Aquarium- it was my first time doing something like that and out of 183 entries, we were awarded second place in the competition!
What sets me apart from others in my field is my willingness to take on difficult and unusual challenges. Most of my sculptures are a “one off” and it is the first time I have made it. I’m not the only one who will do this, that’s for sure, but I also approach projects differently in the fact that I do not draw up schematics, or create mockups of my designs. I prefer to visualize the sculpture in my head, often planning the design for months leading up to the build and then create it freestyle and tweak the design as I go.
The majority of Balloon Twisters mainly do what is known as “line work” where people queue up in a line and wait their turn to choose from a “menu” which is only a handful of pre-selected designs that can be made in 3 minutes or less. I find that work to be stifling as an artist and a creative person, so, whenever I am given the opportunity, I prefer to simply ask each person what they would like- favorite animal, character, vehicle, etc. Oftentimes people are taken aback by my approach and are unsure what to ask for, in which case I ask them if it’s ok to surprise them with something then I make whatever I feel they might enjoy, taking cues from what I observe about them such as their favorite color, if they’re wearing a t-shirt with a character on it, if their hair is died purple, etc. Over the years I’ve gotten very good at taking subtle clues or hints from people to be able to make something that they will likely appreciate. I always tell people the only limitations on what I can create are time and materials. I feel that is what differentiates a Balloon Artist from a Balloon Twister- if I were a painter and you asked me to paint a mountain scape, I should be able to do it. The same applies to Balloon Artists- they should at least try to create whatever is requested of them.
What’s next?
Honestly, I haven’t thought that far ahead, yet! I’m more of a go with the flow type of person, so I just wait for clients to contact me and see what it is they’re looking for. That being said, there are a few things on my “balloon bucket list” such as another World Record, balloon dresses/costumes, more interactive exhibits, etc. One project that I know I would love to do is creating a giant spider for Great Wolf Lodge as several of their locations hire companies to create large sculptures for their Halloween celebration each year. I am also an “arachnid enthusiast” and have almost 30 pet tarantulas, so that would be a project I’m especially passionate about and something I know I could pull off and would love the opportunity to do so!
I think the only “change” I would make would be to continue learning new techniques and just keep growing as an artist. I love a challenge and creating things I have never done before.
Pricing:
- Hourly Entertainment ranges from $175 – $275 an hour depending on what the client is looking for
- Life Size caricatures or characters 5’ and above start at $250
- Classic decor items such as Arches, Columns, tabletop centerpieces depend on the scale of the design and the complexity of the design
- Custom or Commissioned sculptures again depend on the complexity of the design, the amount of balloons used and how many hours it takes to complete
Contact Info:
- Website: https://twistedideasballoons.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twistedideasballoonart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwistedIdeasBalloonsCincy/
- Twitter: https://x.com/twistedideas
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@twistedideasballoonart
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@twistedideasballoonart?_t=8oepK1eGe90&_r=1
