It has taken me nearly a year and a half to create, but my largest, most ambitious rolling ball sculptured, “Opportunity,” is finally complete! A commission received back in November of 2011 started the whole project moving. Since it was of a size and scope that I’d not tackled before, I had to make some adjustments. I had to tear out a shower that someone had built in my basement back in the 60s. I had to install more shop lighting. I had to build a wooden frame onto which I could mount the sculpture as I built it. There was a lot of work to be done before any work got done!
Finally, however, it got down to the real sculpture work, and I learned how to square a frame and how to weld a frame without having it tweak itself out of alignment. That was the barest tip of the iceberg in all the learning experiences I had with this piece, and some of them felt extremely unpleasant. I’m the wiser for it, however, and even when things seemed at their worst, even when I welded something on and then hated it and wanted to tear it off (friends said leave it alone, so I did, and they were right), I kept moving forward and the end result is nothing short of fantastic!
This piece is exactly the sort of thing I wanted to build when I first laid eyes on Eddie Boes’ “Island Exploration” video. It’s the sort of work I’ve been dying to do even when I was first learning on copper at my dining room table. I was able to push myself farther, create more, show the world more of what I am capable of building than with anything previous. And you know what? I’ve still barely scratched the surface. This one is wonderful, and I am happy and proud to have completed it, but if you think I’m going to rest on my laurels, well, you couldn’t be more wrong.
The response to this video has, in the space of hardly a week, been outstanding for me personally. Over 1,000 views already, and it hasn’t stopped! Please take a look, share it with friends and add a comment if you like. It would be a big help toward me pursuing my art and creating even grander pieces.
What a great piece, sounds quite musical when it’s running too. Have you ever thought of using 2 different sized balls on the same track?
Thanks, Andy! As for using different balls, I have thought of using ones of different weights. Different sizes is possible, but would be a big challenge, as it doesn’t take much change in size at all, only a couple of millimeters, to make a ball act very different from the others on the same track. In fact, the marbles on this sculpture were all measured to make sure they fell within the same size range or else they wouldn’t perform properly at all, either getting stuck somewhere or flying off the track.
Outstanding, Tom, I am in awe of this and all your machines! I also watched your video on tig welding. How do I get back to that video? I am in the process of pricing tig welders.
Thanks
Thanks again, Dean. You can find any of my videos by searching for my Youtube page TomHaroldArt. Fortunately, RBS work does not require a high powered TIG machine. Most of the home units can handle the job nicely. Buy from a reputable manufacturer so you can take it back if you have problems, or at least if you buy a used one there is less chance you’ll have issues. I bought my Miller welder used, and I’ve never had a single issue with it in the past three or so years. Also get one with the “high frequency start” feature. This allows you to start the arc without having to touch the work piece with the tungsten. It speeds up the learning curve a good deal when you’re first starting out.
Thank you for letting us get a view of your art. This one is much larger and more fun than most of the ones I’ve seen on YouTube or even in person.
Your work is beautiful.
Thank you, Jay. It took quite a while to complete that one! I’d like to do more large works similar to it, or even larger, but I’ve not had a commission for that size of a piece recently. I appreciate your compliments! I continue to do other sculptures that are small to medium in size while I await the next job for a piece like Opportunity. You may find all of them on my Youtube channel.