3D Rolling Ball Maze Puzzle Cube / Hand Painted Geometric Artwork – new 2012 creations
Roll a Ball on Rails Inside a 3D Cube – Reach the Exit to Solve the Maze Puzzle. An internal lattice forms the 3D pathways, and is itself a Work of Art. Geometric designs are incorporated into the outer faces of the maze cube. This artwork on the outer faces is hand painted by the artist and designer. These Mazes are fun for children over 8, teens and adults. They can also be enjoyed as a fascinating piece of 3D Mathematical Artwork.
A clear plastic display case, as shown in the photos, is included with the maze. This can be used to display this unique work of art. The maze can easily be removed from the case when solving it.
The title of this combination maze puzzle and artwork is “Twisted Symmetry” by Steve Winter. The outer faces of the maze cube have an intricate symmetrical pattern, but the internal path has been so twisted upon itself that any hint of symmetry is lost to oblivion. This model is hand painted by the inventor and creator of this new type of maze puzzles called “Ethereal Maze Puzzles”. Each painted model will be accompanied by a numbered and signed certificate of authenticity.
The dimensions of this maze is 2 ¼ inches on each side. This is the size of a standard 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube.
Ethereal Maze Puzzles are mazes that you solve by rolling a ball through the innovative lattice structure which forms the 3D maze paths. The goal is to roll the ball through the maze from the entrance to the exit. Start by pushing the ball into the spring loaded entrance ( it looks like a backwards “J”). Tip the maze in different directions to roll the ball along the paths through the maze. Don’t worry, if you make a wrong turn, the ball will not fall out of the maze. If the ball runs into a dead-end, you can just roll the ball back the opposite way and try another path; that’s all part of this fun challenge. When you reach the exit there is a spring loaded button to press that releases the ball from the maze. The exit is in a corner of the maze, where you will find a bar with the little button sticking out from the side of the maze.
In 2011 I created a new type of 3D Rolling Ball Maze Puzzle. I named this new invention “Ethereal Maze Puzzles” for their light and airy structure, and almost intangible pathways. In addition to bringing a new level of fun and challenge to the 3D mazes, these mazes are also a work of art. They have an intricate and beautiful internal lattice that makes up the maze pathways. I also incorporated artistic patterns on the outer faces of the mazes. I hand paint these patterns to really make the artwork pop. I make many different models of mazes with varying levels of difficulty and with unique artwork on the exterior.
This type of 3D artwork is only made possible through the magic of 3D printing. Each maze is fabricated by Shapeways, where they use a laser sintering process to individually produce models that can not be made with mass production techniques. I hand paint each maze using enamels to make it a unique work of art.
You can see more pictures of this and other mazes side by side for a size comparison in my photo gallery – just click on the "Seller's Shop" tab above to take you to my shop page, then click on the “gallery” link on the left side of this page.
This is the shop where I make my painted artwork available. I also have unpainted models of my mazes available for sale at a much lower cost. These mazes can be enjoyed unpainted, or you can paint them yourself. You can find these mazes at my Ethereal Maze Puzzles Shapeways shop below:
www dot shapeways dot com/shops/etherealmazepuzzles
You can see videos of this new type of maze in action on my Ethereal Maze Puzzles Youtube channel below:
www dot youtube dot com/user/EtherealMazePuzzles
Tags: maze, puzzle, 3d puzzle, 3d maze, rolling ball, roll a ball, maze cube, maze puzzle, game, ball in maze, labyrinth, maze art, brain fun, Ethereal, mathematical, geometric, cube puzzle, puzzle cube, brain game, brain games, solve, work of art, 3d artwork
