With breath and breadth, balloon artist creates beauty

Imagine creating art with every balloon color in the rainbow.

Anything you can dream, you can make. A house? No problem. Maybe a new wardrobe? Sure.

Now imagine getting paid for it.

For Tawney Noreen, that’s just what happened when her high school job turned into a thriving business.

Noreen started creating simple balloon art for a catering company while attending Durango High School. Wearing a “really horrifying clown costume,” she honed skills that eventually would turn into a full-time business.

“I really just ran around and scared small children,” Noreen joked.

These days, her art has evolved from puppies to include balloon haunted houses, dresses and even a life-size Howard Stern that was presented to the radio legend’s then-fiancee, Beth Ostrosky, on the “Tyra Banks Show.”

Noreen’s company, Tawney Bubbles Balloon Art, takes her into Señor Frog’s at Treasure Island most nights a week. There, she creates party hats including some made with black light-responsive balloons that glow in the dark.

“It’s pretty groovy-looking,” Noreen said.

The Las Vegas local performs for children’s birthday parties, corporate events and other celebrations. Cost varies by what’s required of her, time and skillwise.

Noreen has also been commissioned to create balloon dresses for fashion shows, many of which she does in New York City. It takes from 4 to 20 hours to make a balloon dress.

Locally, Noreen said, the balloon art industry is pretty tiny, but it’s evolved over time anyway.

“It’s not just dogs and swords anymore. It has evolved quite a bit and it has become more of an art than it was 15 to 20 years ago,” Noreen said.

Never though, did she think that she would evolve with the gig.

“This was my McJob,” Noreen said. “I had every intention of becoming a rock star. It didn’t work out for me. That was Plan A.”

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at
lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.
Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.