Balloons in BOLD

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Balloons in BOLD

Bold and dramatic sculptures and illustration art using balloons. Message for commissions and other inquiries.

05/26/2026

"The Feasting of Jephthah". Balloons. 2022.

Most people don't know the story of Jephthah. Here's how this biblical story inspired my balloon sculpture.

As a child, I remember coming across a story in the bible about an Israelite leader named Jephthah. In his fighting against the Ammonites, Jephthah made a vow to the lord that if they were victorious in battle, he would sacrifice as a burnt offering the first thing that emerged from his home when he returned.

The lord granted his victory, and when he returned he was devastated to see his daughter, his only child, come out to greet him. The story goes that after a period of grief, he fulfilled his vow and sacrificed his daughter.

I grew up being taught to filter everything through a biblical lens, but its only with distance and time that I’ve grown to truly understand the gravity of the stranger stories in the bible.

I see a reflection of Jephthah’s tragedy in America today. It echoes in the gay son tossed out onto the street. The transgender child tormented to their breaking point. The daughter bl**ding out from a procedure she resorted to in secret. Sacrificed for the cause of reactionary values stoked by preachers and politicians. “The Feasting of Jephthah” is about that damage that can never be taken back.

Prints available on my website

03/30/2026

“For Oil and Soil”

Displaced bricks and dismembered limbs beneath a demolished building. The stock market rises and falls.

Indistinguishable from rubble. Labeled detritus. Labeled dead. Never alive to be killed. Personhood is for those yet to be. And for those sleeping safe across an ocean.

We subjugate hell to carry us to and fro, soaring on its toxic plumes. It escapes its cage in fiery fury. Displacing the sun, it reaches out. Past the borders, past the ocean. Stinging my eyes as it suffocates those I cannot know.

From the nations of the dead they pick their prizes. A Roman triumph without applause. Redraw the lines till all is claimed. Finally, they can clear the debris.

Once draped in lies told with conviction, now naked in their grotesque truth. For oil and soil. For oil and soil.

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Some technical notes about this work. A lot of new techniques went into this piece. Chiefly being the use of forced perspective. The sculpture gets dramatically larger in proportion as you get closer to the camera. The monster is only about 4 feet tall. To sell the perspective illusion, all the tendril details use smaller balloons as they get closer to the monster’s head, first inflated 160s, then puff inflated 360s →260s →160s. The fine debris on the ground, made from cut up leftover scraps from the main build, is laid out in a similar 360 →160 gradient.

The technique for the buildings are all variations of a brick weave style pattern I saw Joe Tombarello use for an Alligator while at Twist and Shout 2026.

I used a whole bunch of different balloon brands for different reasons. Qualatex gray is very soft and mild, lending itself well to the muted organic distortion of the bodies. The color and finish of black sempertex and kalisan are almost indistinguishable, but they have a not insignificant size difference. Kalisan 160s might as well have their own separate size designation. Using Sempertex in the front hand and Kalisan in the tendrils and back hand gave me a bit more to work with in forcing the perspective. The two front buildings were Kalisan Retro White Sand and Hazelnut. GOATed colors in my book. The back building was Pastel Dusk Rose Britetex. A very nicely subdued color, if a bit too plasticy in feel. Sempertex Neon Orange and Metallic Silver gave a mix of translucency and heavy diffusion to let the flash hidden inside the monster head to really travel. Sempertex Midnight Silk scattered the uplighting in the best way I could’ve hoped for.

While not rising to the same level of surrealness, I drew from Zdzisław Beksiński’s use of mood and texture, paired with the real life imagery coming out of Venezuela, Iran, and Gaza.

01/24/2026

One month until I get to teach alongside these amazing instructors at Twist & Shout Balloon Convention. If you're serious about balloons and have never been to a convention, now's the time to change that. Twist & Shout is THE place to go to learn from the best in the business (and also me).

Tickets are still available. You can't find a better excuse for a trip to Vegas - Balloonconvention.com

12/31/2025

What an intense year it's been! I've put so much effort into each and every project. Even now, I type this through blind spots in my vision as my body demands I slow down. Thankfully the holiday crunch period is over, and I can sit back and spend the next two months writing scripts and editing videos.

This year I decided to pursue a multi-faceted approach to my art, with each project being an opportunity for exhibition, photography, and video essay. A turning point where being an artist also means being an educator and activist.

These endeavors aren't motivated by financial gain, and balancing both outside work and the balloon art has been made so much easier with the support I've received from those of you who believe in my vision. Patreon link down below and thank you from the bottom of my heart to those who've already lent their support.

We've come a long way and this is just the beginning. It may take some time, but I've got many exciting things in the works I can't wait to share with you all. Have a wonderful new year, keep fighting, and stay safe.

12/11/2025

The black-bagged prisoner. An image seared into the collective consciousness of many growing up during the Iraq war. The torture victims at CIA black-sites became an emblem for the soulless cruelty and hypocrisy of a nation posturing as a champion for democracy and civil rights. It’s been said many times before, that the colonial tactics of dehumanization pioneered and refined abroad will eventually manifest in a police state back at home.

Fascist thugs terrorize our communities with guns and tear gas, with seeming impunity. The rights set out in the constitution meant to protect us from exactly such despotic abuses are collapsing like wet cardboard. The judicial system is compromised. The house and senate are feckless.

But while national leaders continue to evade accountability, there is hope. With a united voice, we have the power to affect change at a city and county level. ICE relies on cooperation from local departments to operate efficiently. We can call out our local representatives for their complacency or complicit engagement with forces threatening our rights to due process.

I’ll be attending Houston’s city hall again on December 16th to stand up for the humanity of my fellow neighbors and the rights we share together. Please join me here or at your local town hall to demand an end to collaboration with ICE. More info in the comments.

10/09/2025

"A Struggle In Secret"
This is the first painting as part of my Samson series. I initially intended only to paint a serviceable background on which to photograph its accompanying balloon sculpture, but as I began to lay down each layer, the painting demanded more and more of me.

The scale of 6x7ft is effective in enveloping the viewer when up close. I wanted to feel like you could fall into the void, and there remain trapped. Surrounding the painted section is a collage, built up from ancient biblical text replicas, through King James pages, covered by cult material from the generation before me, and at the surface, the propaganda that instructed my worldview growing up.

This piece took well over a year to finish. It was a vehicle to reconcile with my past and the unique journey that brought me to where I am today. The full artist statement can be found in the link in the comments.

I set the bar high with this first part in the series and far exceeded it with the second part. Its intimidating to work at such scale while trying to meet the standard previously set. Its been over a year since I've last painted, but the final piece is slowly coming together in my mind.

09/19/2025

The b**r can house installation is in its final stages. An opening reception is scheduled for 7:30pm tonight.

09/14/2025

Today, accordions. Tomorrow, balloons.

The B**r Can House balloon build starts at noon. All volunteers welcome. It's not a big space; ironically I think creating the forest scene in here is gonna make it feel bigger.

Address is 222 Malone St, Houston, TX 77007

DM me if you need more info.

Coordination group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1815378002687480/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT

09/02/2025

Can we ever rebuild from the ashes?

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Telephone

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Website

http://balloonsinbold.com/

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