Rain Chain

Outside my studio hangs a rain chain -- a length of chain used to channel the rain down to the ground and used instead of a downspout. The chain is long - perhaps 30 feet. In the summer, the rain flows down it as a gentle trickle, or a rushing torrent, depending upon how hard the rain is falling.

Right now, the rain chain is, instead, an ice sculpture. The chain is hidden, surrounded by the ice. The ice is nearly a foot in diameter, reaching all the way from the roof to the ground. When the sun hits it, it becomes a million rainbows rolled into one. Drips of melting ice create ridges and furrows, knobs and hollows, an ever-changing form. It is spectacular.