Saturday Gary and I went to the San Joaquin Clay and Glass Sale in Fresno. Gary was enticed to go since there was glass, but we didn't see any glass pieces except a few pendants. It was a windy day and perhaps the glass artists didn't want to tempt fate. Gary mentioned he has always wanted to try glass blowing. I'm going to get him to delve into one of the arts one way or another, even if it isn't clay.
I purchased this ceramic rain stick. The stick has some nice carving and it looks like it was rubbed with RIO. This rain stick is about 18 inches tall and 3 inches in diameter. Apparently little pieces of clay are put inside and baffles are attached to the interior. Then the top and bottom are sealed except for a small hole to let the air escape during firing. After the piece is fired the stick is rocked back and forth slowly and gently and the clay particles make a melodious sound. I am amazed at the tone this rain stick makes, delicate and slightly high pitched. I wonder what it would sound like if a whole group of people had ceramic rain sticks and rocked them all at the same time?
While I was getting new tires put on my car the last week I browsed the auto parts aisles to prevent boredom and came across this pack of bondo spreaders. No, I'm not taking up auto body repair; I plan to use these with clay. They're very flexible and were inexpensive too, about $2.00 for three. I think they'd be good for smoothing the clay or for spreading slip across slabs or into crevices. Clay tools seem to be everywhere I look. How about you, do you have any unusual clay tools?
