This unusual rolling ball sculpture was commissioned as a kinetic Christmas tree. Chris wanted a tall sculpture with tabs built into the uprights so Christmas lights could be attached directly to the frame. After working through several designs, we settled on a tree approximately 4 feet high and 3 feet wide.

Creating the circular base presented an interesting challenge. We originally planned four upright supports, but increasing that to five produced a much better round shape. The tradeoff was access—the more supports I added, the less room I had to reach inside and build the tracks.

A helical lift rises through the center of the tree, carrying the marbles back to the top. The large stainless steel rings forming the bottom were the biggest I had made at the time. Since my stainless steel comes in 12-foot lengths, a ring approximately 3 feet in diameter is about as large as I can form from a single piece.

Building the tracks near the top was especially challenging because the uprights converge close to the point where the marble exits the lift, leaving very little room to work.

This sculpture also includes the first curved tipping arm I built, adding another unusual kinetic element to an already unusual piece. The finished sculpture looks great on its own, but with Christmas lights attached to the frame it becomes a glowing, multicolored kinetic Christmas tree.

Made from 100% stainless steel and TIG welded.