President, Sarah Pennington, welcomed everyone to the November meeting of the King’s Somborne WI and introduced Rob Driscoll, otherwise known as the “Bowtie Balloon Man”.
Rob is one of the UK’s premiere balloon entertainers. Having been in the business for over 30 years, he has entertained and twisted balloons all over the world and works with charities and educational institutions giving talks and attending exhibitions.
He explained that the special balloons, invented in America, have a standard length of sixty inches with diameters ranging from one to six inches. They are also biodegradable, unlike the helium filled balloons used for parties, birthdays and anniversaries.
Rob’s case contained over three thousand balloons in many colours, plus his trusty pumps!
When you think of balloon animals, the sausage dog made for kid’s parties is what most people recall. This is known as the “three-twist dog” and was invented by Jeff Koons, an American artist, whose works also include a 12-foot tall, polished steel, orange “balloon dog”; one of which sold at Christies in New York for $58.4M in 2013.
Rob specializes in making scenes from famous films, including King Kong, North by Northwest, and the Lady and The Tramp
A fascinating and fun evening concluded with Frances Shone thanking Rob for a most entertaining talk and demonstration of his skills as a balloon artist.
The next meeting is on 11th December and will be the Christmas Social at the Village Hall.
Avis Stephens
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