Balloons and fine faces adorn dance

Two side attractions added a special flavor to last Saturday night's Barn Dance at Sisters Movie House: the balloon art creations of Pinky the Clown; and the face and cheek designs of Willow Durant.

Pinky and her mother, Silly Lilly the Clown, have been crafting dogs and cats, swords, dragons, fish, butterflies, lizards, snakes, helicopter hats, flowers and just about anything else imaginable from balloons for the past six years. They bring smiles to the faces of all who ask for them to create a new friend.

The sword and a dog are Pinky's most requested items. With a woosh she uses a great little device to blow-up the red balloon that quickly turned into a snake. Pinky comments that she learned her art "through lots of practice."

Pinky and Silly Lilly are available for birthday parties, corporate picnics, festivals, singing telegrams or whatever request may be made. For more information contact Silly Lilly at Just For Fun, 385-5720.

Receiving more requests than she could fulfill, Willow Durant of Fabulous Faces brings amazement and joy to all who request her creative designs. Willow, who started her business in January after doing clowning and ballooning work for Silly Lilly, does full face painting and cheek art.

Durant has worked with expressive art for about the last 12 years. She has taught classes where people paint without having expectations of what the final product will look like.

Durant does a wide variety of gigs like corporate picnics, Halloween parties, princess parties, hero parties and Renaissance parties.

"I do things that are not just for children. I do a lot a adult things, too," she said.

Durant improvises from the request of her client.

She uses hypoallergenic theatrical paints. Durant cautions that her paints will come off on a person's pillow; however, they come out with soap and water.

"Often someone will come who has something they are dealing with, like I have had several people who are dealing with death," Durant said. "I will paint symbols on their bodies that represent something healing for them. It has been very touching."

Durant says that much of what she does is about communicating with a person and finding what they need to heal. It is a way for people to take on a different persona.

"It's a way to process their feelings," she said.

For more information call 382-7047.