tomharoldart

[tomharoldart]

More testing on the current rolling ball sculpture commission! It has a few nagging issues to smooth out, but I'm getting there. I was thinking of doing another live stream while I work right now. Would anyone like to watch? I'll answer questions and you can see how I make adjustments and chase marbles across the floor!Leave a comment now and let me know, thanks! http://ift.tt/2wsZMaJ

[tomharoldart]

The big, blue "marble" next to the little ones in my current rolling ball sculpture commission. The large sphere is earth in this sculpture, such a cool astronomy theme! Want to know more about this piece? I'm doing a live stream for about 40 minutes starting...NOW! http://ift.tt/2xBtMRG

[tomharoldart]

Live stream again tonight on this fabulous rolling ball sculpture while I debug it. Join in to ask questions about my art, this sculpture, welding, my harmonica skills, my drag racing skills, motorcycles, hit rods and anything else you wanna know! Starting...now! http://ift.tt/2wpf4gk

[tomharoldart]

Live Stream with this wonderful piece of kinetic art in 3...2...1... http://ift.tt/2iHF5EC

[tomharoldart]

Still doing lots of cleaning on this rolling ball sculpture commission. It's getting better, though! Getting closer to finishing all the time. Can't wait to get it rolling full time! http://ift.tt/2gbZ0KN

[tomharoldart]

Who's happy to be rolling through Thursday? From my rolling ball sculpture, "High Gear," these marbles are headed for the custom chain lift I designed using parts from my collectors racing kart! I'm definitely a car guy at heart, so creating this piece was way too much fun for me. It's great when I can have fun with designs based on my collector's interests. Have thoughts on a sculpture for yourself? Click that link in my bio and go to the Commissions page for a detailed Q&A, or just shoot me an email with questions. I'm happy to hear from you! http://ift.tt/2xwen4s

[tomharoldart]

Time for a little behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be a marble on my rolling ball sculptures. There are lots of factors that make up an ideal marble. This one here shows just one issue: relative fragility. I believe this marble fell off only once or twice during testing before a huge chunk came out of the face! RBS can be hard on a marble. Yes, they look graceful and peaceful and fun, but keep in mind that those marbles are rolling over many feet of track. On an automated sculpture that runs eight or more hours a day, this can really take its toll. Some marble styles just aren't up to the task. You figure all this out by testing and accrued experience over time. Relative roundness and size are two other big issues. If I really need something ultra durable and reliable, plastic or metal. Asks are always an option I can provide for my collectors. Would you like to hear more about the details of marble selection or other sculpture oddities? Let me know in the comments! http://ift.tt/2v2RpVA

[tomharoldart]

Here's a birds eye view of the helical ball lift for the current rolling ball sculpture commission. This is the first time I've built one of this type, and I'm really pleased with how well it is working! It's an amazing visual point as well, with the marbles twisting slowly up it until they reach the top and tip out onto the track, winding and zipping their way to the bottom. I've now done two different lift types, but I can certainly do a number of different ones. Have an idea for one you'd like on your own commission? Shoot me an email and let me know, or click the link in my bio to see other lift types on action in my Gallery! http://ift.tt/2vTCYCe

[tomharoldart]

There's no chance of the sun on this rolling ball sculpture disappearing from view tomorrow. As a matter of fact, I'll be putting out some more video if it, so it will be even more visible! Until then, enjoy this detail showing the helical ball lift in action with the sun mineral sphere in its proper place of distinction, high and glowing! http://ift.tt/2xh0O8C

[tomharoldart]

They always say "Post pics with lots of color to grow your IG following!" I don't think this is the kind of color they're taking about, but it's what I have in front of me today, lots of weld cleaning. Someone asked me on my YouTube channel a while ago how I get clean, shiny welds. I use a rotary tool with a scotch buff or just plain old scotch bits and elbow grease, and I scrub them into submission! This takes forever, it seems. There's tons of picky cleaning to be done in a rolling ball sculpture, but it looks great when done. I'll show some updates later today with the results. http://ift.tt/2veLbxc

[tomharoldart]

Marbles move so fast through a coil that it's tough to catch them in action, but I managed! This is a very popular element in my rolling ball sculptures. I get plenty of requests for it in my commissions. Thinking that my kinetic artwork might be right for your home or office? Click the link in my bio and go to the Commissions tab for a Q&A about them. Then shoot me an email with any questions. I'm happy to answer! Thanks for checking out my artwork! http://ift.tt/2ib4LJA

[tomharoldart]

I'm trying to work out a design for another sculpture, doing some rough sketches. It's very hard. I don't do sketches normally. I know where a few major components will go, and I'll sketch those if needed, but other than that I create it as I go. I'm a little stuck here. Not the most comfortable feeling in the world. http://ift.tt/2vM3Z8N

[tomharoldart]

I'm still hard at work on this fabulous rolling ball sculpture commission! Here's a closeup showing some more detail of the track routing, overall finish, the finish on the collector plate and the spheres mounted in their enclosures. Each mineral sphere, representing sun, moon and earth, can be removed from the sculpture and its hinged enclosure. The astronomy theme was requested by my collector. I am able to create rolling bal sculpture around a variety of themes such as sports, automotive, music and even corporate brands. Click the link in my bio and go to the Commissions tab to read the Q&A about commissions for more information. Questions? DM me or email me for information on how I might be able to create an amazing custom piece of kinetic art just for you! http://ift.tt/2wPlQvV

[tomharoldart]

Man, some nights it just feels like zero progress, even after over two hours of work. This usually happens when I don't create anything new of some size or substance, or so it seems. Tonight I welded up a bunch of supports to the existing sculpture tracks and added some braces that were needed. Then I started on this guardrail for the collector, which is always more tedious than it seems it should be. All this work is important, but it just doesn't FEEL big and important. I just have to keep reminding myself that unless all these parts are in place - both big and little - the sculpture won't work! So, tonight you get small but important pieces of guardrail. Let's look forward to tomorrow when it's a new day with possibilities for progress in other areas once again, not only with art, but even in my life and hopefully yours as well. Have a good evening, and thanks for your support! http://ift.tt/2wO8C2i

[tomharoldart]

I hope your Tuesday is moving along nicely! This detail shot of my rolling ball sculpture, "Kids Count," shoes the marbles moving along themselves. This piece went into an autism center for children where it is now used as a tool for behavioral reinforcement. They have told me that use of it is one of the most popular rewards there! I can create sculpture that fit needs for a variety of situations, such as libraries, lobbies or medical facilities. Check the link in my bio to see other work in my Gallery, or see the Commissions tab for info on commissioning your own custom sculpture. http://ift.tt/2uLfRGI

[tomharoldart]

I'm really close to completing this latest rolling ball sculpture commission! Here you can see what it will basically look like once it's done. I have a few more braces to add and plenty of cleaning to do, plus one Touch of color to add. There will be lots of testing with rolling marbles as well! Is the astronomy theme standing out for you on this piece? My collector asked for the theme and provided the mineral spheres that I integrated into the sculpture. How do you like it? http://ift.tt/2i1Fnpq

[tomharoldart]

It's Monday, people, so here's a nice image of something not related to work to help you ease into it! This rolling ball sculpture I created, titled "Tomfoolery," was commissioned by the Indianapolis Public Library Central Branch @indylibrary . Though we might be avoiding work this morning, this sculpture required a lot of it in a short period of time! I built this in only six weeks while also working my day job. It took intense discipline in my schedule to deliver this to them on time, but I pulled it off and two years later they still love it! They tell me it gets visitors all day long, and patrons tell me it's one of their children's absolute favorite things in the library. You can see a full YouTube video of it on my web site, just click the link in my bio to go straight to the Gallery. Thanks for checking out my work! http://ift.tt/2vUDQqQ