Pop Artist (page 2 of 2)

Inflated Interest

The couple wed that December and settled in Patterson's Coral Gables apartment. Irina, a willowy blonde just under six feet tall, chose not to complete the extensive retraining needed to continue her medical career in the United States. After briefly pursuing modeling -- she was Cindy Crawford's body double in Fair Game -- she took a public relations job. Then, a few years ago, she watched a man at a party twist a skinny balloon into the shape of a dog. Kismet!

Irina was soon hooked. She purchased a tiny pump and a supply of balloons and began practicing on the sidewalks of Coconut Grove, experiencing a surge of creative energy she hadn't felt since childhood art class. Observers challenged her to create all kinds of figures -- alligators, butterflies, horses, ballerinas. And with each piece, she improved her technique. Now, Irina says, "There's nothing I can't make," including a huge likeness of Shaquille O'Neal that requires 50 balloons.

Many years ago, Irina's husband, Wes, was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a progressive, intensely painful disorder of the nervous system which now keeps him homebound. "But he is a very philosophical, wonderful man," Irina says. "It makes him so happy that I have found something that makes me happy." Thanks to her new career, she is able to support them both, performing an average of five events weekly (baby showers, bar mitzvahs, even fund-raisers at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach) and earning as much as $2,000 per appearance.

"Irina's a wonder," says Marlene Berg, chief development officer for the Florida Heart Research Institute, where the artist recently donated her services for a black-tie benefit. "She created these phenomenal sculptures, one after the other, and turned the evening into magic." "My whole life has become magic," Irina says, "and it's all come from a balloon."

From Reader's Digest - June 2006

 

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• America's Idol
• She's been to Hollywood and beyond, but singer Carrie Underwood is still a country girl at heart.
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• Born to Race
• According to NASCAR's Kelly Sutton, making a pit stop does not mean giving up the race.
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• Hail to the Chef
• The first woman to run the White House kitchen is ready to take the heat.
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• Money Makers: The Problem-Solver
• She was too naive to know her idea couldn't work. The fear came after she succeeded.
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• Against the Odds
• He was just another dropout -- until he got the measles and a goal.
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