Suiseki in California

CC ALIFORNIAALIFORNIA A A ISEKIISEKI K K AIAI Volume 38, Issue 6 June 2020

The following was published in Aiseki Magazine in April 2014.

Our Trips to Japan

As I am writing this we have 21 days until we fly to Japan for the Japan Suiseki Exhibition. By the time you read this we will have already returned home. This is our 6th trip to Japan, the first in 1982. Harry Hirao, my suiseki and bonsai sensei was the leader of that trip. We did some sightseeing but the focus was bonsai and stones from Tokyo to Kyushu, Hirao’s ancestral home. We purchased 3 large suiban in Tokoname that we have used in numerous local shows. We purchased some stones, my favorite was a Furuya-ishi. In 2000, we were part of a group, the Board of Directors of the National Bonsai Foundation, and attended Kokufuten. I was asked to donate a stone that would be given to the Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister passed away 6 months later. I don’t know the fate of that stone. We became friends with Yasuo Mitsuya in 1986. He met us in Tokyo during that 2000 trip and was our guide in the Green Club where we purchased another stone, a toyama-ishi. Also on that trip, the Nippon Bonsai Association hosted a dinner for our group at which time I presented a stone on behalf of the National Bonsai Foundation, to Arishige Matsuura. In 2005, after visiting Mitsuya-san for 5 days, we went on to Kyoto where we purchased a stone from Komatsu-san. Later we joined Tom and Hiromi Elias who were researching the history of chrysanthemum stones. We spent a day in the mountains and streams near Gifu looking for stones. The only things we found were leeches. Our DNA can be found near Gifu in some very healthy leeches. Finally, we attended Meihinten, on the day before the opening where we first met Wil. We have been friends ever since. In 2007, we were invited to attend a 9 day class in the practice of Keido display taught by Sensei Uhaku Sudo. Hideko Metaxas was the leader, joined by David DeGroot. David is the Curator of the Weyerhaeuser bonsai and suiseki collection near Seattle, Washington. Wil attended our graduation party. My graduation gift was a stone.

Here’s some fun! Sugata ishi….In An Introduction to Suiseki, Mr. Matsuura wrote that “these are stones with shapes that resemble birds, or other animals, religious icons such as the Buddha” or some “manmade objects such as boats, bridges, or small huts.” Keep in mind that these are not pattern stones. Nina found the figure stone below on a rafting trip on the Kings River in Central California. Gail Middleton made the daiza in 1987. 3.5 x 3.25 x 2.5

With no program this month, we thought we could use this space to share an exciting coming attraction: A gateway within the new Penjing Court in the Chinese Garden at The Huntington. Installation ‘in progress’ of a rock focal point within the new Penjing Court in the Chinese Garden. When open the court will have sheltered areas to display scholar’s rocks as well as penjing.

Stone of the Month

No June Program

continued on page 11

The 1 inch wide inner m

argins are designed for use with a 3 hole punch.

VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

PAGE 2

Linda Burman-Hall: 31.75 x 7 x 12 Eel River

Buzz Barry: 7.25 x 3.25 x 4.75 California

David Melitz: 4 x 3.5 x 3 Yellowstone River, Montana

No Meeting Notes, but... ANNOUNCEMENTS: We certainly hope that we will be cleared to meet at the Nakaoka Center sometime soon. We miss you all and look forward to being together again... Stay tuned. Stone of the Month: Stones that exhibit calmness. All photos sent electronically. We have representations from California, Colorado, Montana, Virginia, Washington State and Japan!

Measurements are in inches, w x h x d.

Butch Buddingh: 5 x 1.75 x 2.5 Yuha Desert

Jack Sustic: 7 x 3.25 x 5 Rappahannock River, Virginia

Jim Greaves: 7.25 x 2 .75 x 4.25 Oceanside, CA

Carol Mortensen: 13 x 3 x 4 Northern California

~Larry Ragle

PAGE 3 VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

Larry Ragle: 12.25 x 3.5 x 7.75 Eel River

Jim Greaves: 9.5 x 3.6 x 4.25 Kings River, CA Alpine Flower Jim Greaves: 8.25 x 1.5 x 3.25 Thomes Creek, CA Ebb Tide

Carol Mortensen:7 x 7 x 3.5 Gift from Eorl Carlson, Washington State

Paul Harris: 17 x 4 x 6 Poudre River, Colorado

AVSRC: 12.5 x 6 x 8.25 Japan (Setagawa kinji ishi, Remoteness) Nina Ragle: 3.5 x 3.25 x 2.5 Japan

Ray Yeager: 4 x 2 x 3.5 Yuha Desert

During my time, 30 years of interest in bonsai especially shohin and kifu, and later suiseki, I have participated in exhibitions many times and have seen how other western people made their displays. I made my observations and I made my displays. Since 2000 I have been in Japan at least one time every year, and I have seen exhibitions and observed how the displays were made, with a lot of attention to the elements that were used. It was during these years my interest in suiseki really started, and years later bonsai started to lose my interest, but this is a completely different story. At a point I saw the homepage of Martin Pauli, and that was a turning point for me regarding suiseki. I had been collecting from here and there knowing there was much more to it, but Martin’s words brought me peace of mind, and I found the way I wanted to follow. I have studied photos of old Japanese tokonoma displays whenever possible, and in between asked a question here and there in Europe and Japan. My observations regarding the use of shikishi and tanzaku which are often used in western exhibitions due to their good size for displays are a completely western "thing”. There is no tradition of using them in Japanese bonsai or suiseki exhibitions at all… I asked a shohin exhibitor who had used a small kakejiku (scroll) in his display, if he ever used a shikishi due to the good size… he said NO. I carefully asked why and he said, “not high enough quality". I said some of the old painted on silk are very good… I said most of it to his back, as he was already gone. Now that was a lesson I did not forget. I can still have a little smile on my face when I think about it and keep my head down in respect. So, I think, based on my observations and old photos, it is safe to say decorated tanzaku and shikishi are only used in houses, never in exhibitions. This knowledge brought me to use them in my house. I change the picture painted on cardboard as the year goes by, so the decorations in my house are always fresh. I have 3 hangers in the house...very enjoyable. After a fire in late summer of 2017 when we lost our house, (most suiseki were saved) and moved to a new place, I could right away see it was possible for me to make a large permanent display area, not just one I make, take a picture and afterwards take down... but a display area I can enjoy every day; even my husband enjoys it very much as he is always interested when I make a new display. The displays give me peace of mind, and when it is fresh and the elements I have used

VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

please me, I very much enjoy a quiet coffee in front of it. I have a good chair about 4 meters away from the display area, a perfect distance for a good view. The floor of the display area is 2.36 m wide and 60 cm deep, large like a Japanese traditional tokonoma, give or take, without actually being one… My area is fitted in the room and kept in the style of my western house... if I had made a tokonoma built I feel I would have needed to show total respect. Now I can use tanzaku and shikishi in my displays for the smaller stones without showing disrespect. It gives me the freedom to create precisely the display and feeling I want to express… and gives me a lot of room to enjoy in my own quiet way and do my best to achieve something beautiful with the stones I love. With the large display area I prefer to use the kakejiku (scroll), as this is the traditional decoration for the tokonoma, even though I already have bought many since the fire, I could use more, and I am always on the hunt for one more....and more stands. The kakejiku is what I aim to use as this is the old tradition, only by using the kakejiku can a display be called a "kazari" and I do like a good kazari... my displays of this type are fit for a tokonoma, as I make sure the rules are respected in all my displays… I am very well aware that a shikishi, even if it is very beautiful and old hand painted on silk, has no tradition in Japan… in Japanese exhibitions with only a small room for a stand and suiseki, a shikishi is never used. There is no tradition for this, and also a kakejiku is not used even if it is tiny. Kakejiku is only used for tokonoma display. The large display area in my house gives me the opportunity to interact with my suiseki, they are not just kept in boxes on a shelf, and taken to a exhibition

PAGE 4

My Western Display Area by Yvonne Graubaek

VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

PAGE 5

now and then… exhibitions are nice, and you get to meet people and have great conversations… but the very quiet every day enjoyment of a display and finding the peace of mind is something that is not really

The stone is from Japan: “Wazuka Bean” stone I made the daiza from mahogany

Yvonne’s Display for June I wanted to make a display with the lovely old hand painted silk shikishi showing the firefly in a willow during nighttime. The stamp is on the right side, so I wanted to find a stone with the direction to the right side, but the willow also points a bit to the right side even though the firefly pulls it back towards left. The willow makes it difficult to find the right stone as the eye could easily be drawn out of the picture, and it has to stay in the display. Because the shikishi was difficult, I tried 4 stones on the stand, before I gave up. I found a new stone and wanted to look for a another shikishi, but then I saw for the first time this stone’s two little peaks were pointing toward the left on the right side, enough to hold back the influence of the willow… and I decided to keep the display as the good feeling was there.

possible in exhibitions…. I can only recommend that you make a nice big display area… you will not know how much you missed it until you have it.

PAGE 6 VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

I made a new display with the Fujieda ishi and a cuckoo. It is interesting how different from each other displays can look... I like this one. This display is for 15 of April until 1 of July.

Another Display for the Season

From Yvonne Graubaek in Denmark

CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 7 VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6

As noted in mid-2017, the process of transferring the AVSRC collections of stones and display materials to The Huntington split the collections to the extent that is was not logistically possible to systematically mount and photograph the various stages and considerations involved in creating the more complex thematic displays as I had originally planned. Further logistical complications at The Huntington and the coronavirus lock-down have extended the lack of access. Therefore, Nina and I have decided to continue the series as best we can by using/reusing examples with existing images. Our systematic exploration of the use of an increasingly larger number of stones in thematic groupings was halted with an overview of ‘round stands’ (CAK 2017, May, Vol.35) as a precursor to the following discussion of three-stone displays incorporating them. We will now resume three-stone displays by revisiting examples that most of our members have seen, perhaps many times. Please keep in mind that many of the same principles apply to all multi-stone compositions regardless of display furniture employed: balance of masses and open space; color and tonal balance (hue and value); perspective; directional flow, etc. Further, the same multi-stone arrangements can often be adapted for presentation on different kinds of stands. Importantly, this includes the auxiliary display risers (ADR) that CAK uses in our annual show at The Huntington, thereby making it possible for club members to consider presenting multi-stone relationships even if they do not personally own display furniture. (e.g., CAK: 2017, April, Vol. 35, pg. 6)

composition, but does not trap or suffocate stones as when the same stones are displayed within angular niches of box and step stands. The rigidity of the latter tends to keep any sense of perspective more as a theoretical concept than something that can be visually sensed. A large-hooped round stand, especially when used in conjunction with a third stone on the exhibition table, has the potential to present a more visually open display and sense of vertical perspective.

The thematic relationship of these stones is as simple as one can get, a single category: human figural forms. As such, the presentation is inherently dependent on the quality of the individual stones; however, it is the selection of their size and placement of the stones that creates the unified visual package. Simply filling all the shelves seldom results in an optimal presentation… Realistically, one cannot expect to randomly place a group of stones on just any shelves with a reasonable expectation that it will work at all, let alone provide a satisfying display. This group of figures may prove close to being an exception. Take your time with the following variations and see if you have a preference or two. My suggestion is to first look over all the arrangements and take note of what your likes and dislikes are before reading my observations.

Ask GuyJim Dear Readers, Beyond the Stone –considerations for presenting viewing stones within a thematic concept, Part XII: Three-stone Display Employing a Round Stand

l-r: Oceanside, CA; Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Yuha Desert, CA

Standing Figural Stones

A round stand stands out: it draws attention to a display when viewed from a distance and often provides dramatic (and inviting) variation within exhibitions where rows of tables and rectangular furniture usually predominate. Somewhat contradictorily, the round stand is at once both the most eye-catching and less interfering style: because when the same display is viewed up-close the visually dominant, eye-catching hoop tends to appear more delicate, even to ‘disappear’, leaving larger open spaces that provide more ‘breathing’ room around the stones on the ‘floating’ shelves. The delicate, expansive hoop retains the function of framing/restraining the

CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6 PAGE 8 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

This is an improved version of the old exhibition photo on page 7. The original over- sized pillow beneath the bent figure has been replaced with a pillow-stand that raises the figure’s head further above the left shelf and better fills the niche. Each figure curves slightly inward, reflecting the curve of the hoop and creating a subtle inward visual flow that adds to the stability of the overall composition. Each stone clearly occupies its own space. The offset placement of stones on their shelves achieves a centered balance.

I like the way the curve of the upper bent-over figure on the right occupies its space and nicely parallels the curve of the hoop. However, my sense is that the bent figure is weighing heavily toward the ground and thus it would sit more naturally at the bottom; it feels uncomfortable looming above the more delicate standing figure which being strongly vertical and visually the lightest of all the stones in both color and mass is better shown on the top shelf.

Simply reversing the arrangement in (A) creates a situation where the curves of the stones conflict with the lines of the stand and each other, creating an uncomfortable instability.

With the stand in this orientation we are left with no choice but to place the largest figure, the Madonna, in the tighter niche beneath the highest shelf on the left… Not a lot of breathing room, but the stones’ forms all generally follow the curve of the hoop. It is acceptable, but seems uncomfortably torqued and conflicted between the formal, upright left side and the bent form on the right, leaving a sense of overall imbalance of masses within the hoop. Also note that, the bent figure is here displayed on a low pillow and therefore the head is improperly level with the adjacent shelf.

Very similar to (D) except that the figures are not all centered on their respective shelves. With the curves of the stones and hoop all working together the composition is now both more relaxed and more stable. Here the bent figure has been placed on a slightly higher pillow-stand to enable its head to clear the adjacent shelf; its raised mass also better fills the open side.

C

B A

E

D

The stand above has a vertically elongated hoop that creates a niche beneath the lowest shelf. While one might be tempted to insert a small complementary plant, okimono, or even a stone as part of a different thematic display, e.g., an insect within a presentation of animal stones, the space is usually best left open. Although four stones might be squeezed in, it would become difficult to retain good balance and openness. In the following displays we will employ the opposite approach and open the spaces even more by placing only two stones within the stand and the third on a board that is placed directly on the exhibition table.

VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 9

The Passing Storm

With this example we abandoned any single underlying stone category to evoke a more complex environmental experience: the sun breaks through the high clouds overhead as the continuing storm moves out over the sea, leaving the boat floating on now calm waters. The vertical perspective of the arrangement once again moves from earth to sky. However, rather than a simple progression from foreground to sky, the movement within the composition is a bit unusual in that it is rather circular. Effectively, the visual movement of the ‘story’ follows the storm towards the right where the vertical shape of “Storm Over the Sea”, with its visually dominant reversed diagonals of lightning, stop our eye from running out of the picture; the streaks of lightning then subtly guide us back to contemplate the quiet boat (as also do the diagonal clouds in the stone above). The prow of the boat in turn directs our vision toward the right and upward. The gray color of the stones establishes an underlying unity while the orange in the sky shouts that the storm is passing. Finally, unseen, one may sense the sound of distant thunder and the fresh after-a-storm atmosphere. While with the previous two displays it would have seemed to be a bit overboard to remark that the stones were all from the same geographic source, namely the rather large North American Continent, here one might be participating in an exhibition venue where it could be informative to point out that all three stones were collected from rivers in California. (Note that while the boat stone is simply placed on a board; sometimes with the same underlying composition I have displayed the boat in a suiban.

Nightfall

Here we take the simple concept of presenting a group of stones with a single broad categorical relationship, in this case three celestial stones, a step further with stones that also tell a ‘story’: the transition from sunset to the night sky. The perspective rises from the earth-bound image of the sun setting on the ocean past the hazy moon to the clear depths of star-studded space. From the table-top stone the upward progression follows two reversing diagonals to establish a stable triangular arrangement. One might argue that the round stand should be reversed or that the setting sun should be placed on the left. Either approach would create a correct progression of perspective, both foreground to background and low to high. However, the single strong diagonal of either approach would lead the eye to move more quickly; thus one could argue it would be antithetical to the slow transition of twilight that is better appreciated when stopping at the stages of the current reversed diagonals. Further, the single diagonal arrangement would be significantly heavier on the high side and destabilize the whole … and being such a straight ascending line, would likely be visually boring as well! The complementary rounded shapes of stones and hoop of the stand reinforce the celestial concept; the subdued colors harmonize to capture the mood of twilight; the relatively long jiita emphasizes the sense of horizon. Less obvious, but inherent to the display, are both the sense of the passing of time and absence of sound. One is free to interpret ones own sense of the environment. On exhibit, it might be of interest to note that there is one other unusual thematic commonality shared by these stones: they are all beach stones.

l-r: Hazy Moon – La Paz Mexico; Starry Night – Dana Point, CA; Setting Sun – Oceanside, CA

l-r: boat, Thomes Creek, CA; Sunlit Clouds, Feather River; Storm Over the Sea, Eel River, CA

VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 10

The stones have been selected as elements to ‘paint’ or suggest the ambience of a pond at dusk. The display might be considered a ‘haiku’ in stones: The viewer must conjure the image of the pond and its pond environment, including air temperature, humidity, and sounds. Do you hear the bullfrog or, perhaps, the mosquitoes the bat is seeking? Is the full moon a bit fuzzy because of the humidity? Did the loon’s mate just cry out from beyond our sight? The selection is capable of evoking an environmental experience, not simply a snapshot, but one offering immersive engagement. Once again, we employ vertical perspective and the triangular composition establishes a sense of stability, in this case reinforcing the sense of enveloping calm. The curved forms of stones and stand are visually static; one looks between them at a leisurely pace. The unifying gray and white of the stones evoke a sense of harmony, perhaps the dimming light of dusk as the moon appears in a still graying sky. The evening is warm and a bit humid. All is well in the world …Except for that pesky mosquito!

My approach is personal; it is not my intent to provide a set of rules, nor do I, myself, consciously work my way through a checklist of things to consider. Once you have an idea, pull those stones you have in mind – also any others that might possibly fit your thematic idea –then just go with spontaneity and intuition. You may be surprised that bad arrangements often just shout ‘bad’, while better placements seem obvious. In between there may be room for a wonderful game of musical chairs, as you experiment. Hopefully my observations will make you more attentive to underlying concepts, some relatively minor, that might help you not only get started, but add that final tweak of refinement.

l-r: Bat -Vancouver Island, BC; Moon - Mokelumne River, CA; Loon - Eel River, CA

However in practice the use of a sufficiently spacious suiban is often impossible because of the limited depth of table space ...or the proximity of curious fingers. The relatively long board was selected to suggest the calm surface and reinforce the horizontal view.)

Evening at the Pond

A slight overlapping of the stand by a third ‘tabletop’ stone (whether just slightly overlapping the jiita or with part of the stone itself as seen on the left) might serve to tighten the overall composition while also re-enforcing that it is a foreground object within the perspective of the display. Conversely, depending on the parameters of your allotted table space, such compositions may be spread out as well to achieve a better balance for the entire exhibit table. Within reason, i.e., short of losing triangular inner relationships, all three of these compositions could be opened as needed to establish the best look.

This was my first thematic display using a round stand and is still my favorite argument for the concept of multi-stone thematic presentations. The stones all represent the category of picture or embedded-image stones and represent a particular type of stone material: these stones from three different locations are probably best described –even if not with technical accuracy – as lowly greywacke, a disdained rock that meets none of the lofty standards of quality suiseki!

June Contributors: Yvonne Graubaek, Jim Greaves, and Larry Ragle. Mailing: Flash Partch Editor: Nina Ragle

Contact People

PAGE 11 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 38, ISSUE 6

Newsletter Committee

We hope you will participate. Please send any submissions to ragle@cox.net no more than 10 days following our monthly meeting. Thank you!

California Aiseki Kai meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm at the Nakaoka Community Center located at 1670 W. 162nd St, Gardena, CA. Second floor. We do not meet in Nov-Dec.

Programs: Larry Ragle 949.497.5626 crimescene@cox.net Treasury/Membership: Nina Ragle 949.497.5626 ragle@cox.net Annual Exhibit: Jim Greaves 310.452.3680 jimgreaves@avsrc.org Exhibit Set Up: Marty Hagbery 909-257-9559 Refreshments: Janet Shimizu 310.822.6012 janet.shimizu46@gmail.com Beverages: Jack Levy 626.794-4572 jnlevy@earthlink.net Historian: Ray Yeager 760.365.7897 ryeager890@aol.com Webmail: Chris Cochrane 804.918.4636 sashaichris@gmail.com

In The Mailbox

~Larry Ragle

Stone Sales Ken McLeod 209-605-9386 or 209 586-2881

suisekistones.com

Freeman Wang 626-524-5021 Suiseki-Viewing Stone Sale

stores.ebay.com/thestoneking

In 2011, we travelled with Hideko and her husband, Tony, touring Northern Japan. I found a stone, see Aiseki March 2013, while on a raft trip up a wide river. We attended the ASPAC Takamatsu Convention 2011. It was there that we won the auction of Mr Katayama’s stone which Morimae-san displayed at the Japan Suiseki Exhibition, 2014. At the end of that trip, Wil introduced us to Kengo Tatehata who invited me to write these articles.

Suiseki in California continued from page 1

My chair... I enjoy sitting together with some of my wooden babies, my kokeshi, and of course some of the suiseki.

From Yvonne Graubaek in Denmark

Here are the answers from last month’s quiz on page 12:

1) Kern River

2) Eel River

3) Eel River

4) Murphys

5) Eel River

6) Merced River

7) Mokelumne River

8) Trinity River

The Littlest Rockhound

Ron and Joann Maggio sent this picture of their grandson (Ron Maggio III) with the caption, “Grandpa, am I doing this right?” It looks like he has an eye for a very “calming” stone. One is never too young to get hooked on viewing stones. Go Ron!

Ragle P.O. Box 4975 Laguna Beach CA 92652

Leaves no stone unturned

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

aisekikai.com

4 5

6 8

3

2 Here we provide eight more photos taken in GuyJim’s backyard to keep your stone viewing functions from atrophying during these locked-down times. See if you can identify the California desert sites from where they were collected. (Answers next month.)

7

1