From book fairs to the Children's Hospital, Phoenix Carreiro, 14, has been taking her talent for balloon art wherever she goes.

Carreiro's most recent appearance was at the Barnes & Noble event featuring Paddington illustrator R.W. Alley and author Zoë Alley. While the couple held a story session, Carreiro, then 13, kept the young audience busy by making balloon dogs, bears and swords.

"I was just happy that they were so well behaved," said Carreiro.

She also frequents children's parties and other such events to share her talent for balloon art.

A student at All Saints Catholic School in New Bedford and a fan of street art, Carreiro began making balloon art after picking up a balloon creation from a street artist. She decided to pursue creating balloon art as a way to entertain her three year-old cousin, Zay Riel, who had been admitted to the Children's Hospital for treatment of leukemia. She picked up a balloon animal kit from the local supermarket, practiced for a few weeks, and went up to show off her new talent for her cousin.

"It was something nice that I didn't need anyone to do for me," said Carreiro.

A year and a half later, and Carreiro is still going strong. She graduated up from making balloon dogs and swords two characters as complex as Spiderman, Baymax from Disney's "Big Hero 6," with and without armor, and even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Though many people have been supportive of her pursuit, some still don't see the value of what Carreiro does. Critical people have joked that she could only pursue it by becoming a clown, Carreiro said.

"I know a lot of people say it's a waste of time because, oh, they're made of latex, and they deflate, or they pop and they're fragile but I just think it's worth it," said Carreiro. "I have dreams and aspirations, maybe not so much with the clown thing," she joked.

Those aspirations include becoming a historian on 15th and 16th century European monarchies.

Carreiro always provides her balloon creation services for free to members of the community.

"I just did it for a little boy and I called it his birthday present," said Carreiro. "It's just good to have an audience for it."

People have the tendency to underestimate just how much work goes into a balloon art. At a movie screening for "Big Hero 6," Carreiro made as many as 60 balloon Baymaxes. The night before a party, she was booked to make a variety of different pieces without any time to prepare or pick up supplies. Between school work and day-to-day life, that kind of preparation can become seriously time-consuming, said Carreiro. However, she takes it in stride and still manages to deliver at every single event.