Website Link: https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/living-an-artists-dream/article_4974513c-56b6-11ec-b66d-571fa2648804.html
By Mary Bethel Olson The Daily Journal Dec 7, 2021 Updated Jan 12, 2023
Jeff Zachmann grew up just north of Minneapolis. The suburbs were booming at that time and he and his sisters and friends found themselves playing in a big pile of dirt left over by various construction projects. They would create tunnel systems in the big pile and send marbles through them.
That’s where Zachmann first found his love for kinetic sculpture.
Years later, the successful artist now lives in Fergus Falls and recently displayed his 1,000th sculpture during the Over the River Holiday Festival over the weekend.
“Yeah, it’s kind of weird to think that I’ve done a thousand of these things,” said Zachmann, who started selling his sculptures in 1993.
He is a master at kinetic sculpture, working with metal and motors that carry balls around and within the sculpture in a peaceful, beautiful manner.
“I’m really happy with this piece,” said Zachmann about his 1,000th sculpture. “I think this is probably the nicest piece I’ve ever done. I took my time on this and really … this is the one I did because it’s what I wanted to do, more than anything.”
Often when making a sculpture, he has to keep in mind what other people might want or what a commissioner requests. “That being said,” he smiled, “I guess just about every (sculpture) is doing what I want anyway.”
Zachmann’s work is located all around the world at museums, hospitals, airports, within famous people’s homes and even on the Vegas Strip.
His sculptures are captivating. Equally mechanical and creative. The marbles or balls flow in a way that is calming, yet they break repetition just enough to gently hold the watcher’s interest.
When he shows at art shows, he jokes he’s like “the cute guy at the bar” — 20 to 30 people will be at his booth throughout the entire show. “It still just floors me.”
“I’m interested in how people think,” he explained. “When I’m at an art show and people are looking at all of these sculptures, I don’t look at the sculptures. I know what they do. I’m looking at the people … what’s going on inside their head?”
He also intentionally makes his sculptures soothing. “Everybody has a lot of stress and worries in their life. Everybody does,” he said. “And this sculpture lets them get away from that for a while. All of a sudden they can forget everything else and just look at how the balls are rolling.”
Zachmann has had a long and fruitful career making his sculptures. “I really live an artist’s dream life,” he shared, reflecting on the milestone of making his 1,000th piece.
“It just makes me stop and think of how fortunate I am as an artist ... as an artist I pretty much do what I want when I want to do it,” he explained. “I don’t know how else to put it, I’m just so fortunate. And the 1,000th piece makes me just stop and think … 1,000 pieces … that’s a lot of artwork … and I’m still enjoying it.”
