CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

Viewing Stones and Bonsai

CCCALIFORNIAALIFORNIAALIFORNIA A A AISEKIISEKIISEKI K K KAIAIAI Volume 29, Issue 4 April 2011

This is an excerpt from an article I wrote called ‘Stone Appreciation’ in Awakening the Soul, published in 2000 by the National Bonsai Foundation. This limited edition book is no longer in print.

It is no coincidence that the people who admire and appreciate bonsai often become fascinated with viewing stones. They find themselves searching for stones in the time left over after caring for their trees. Both art forms are visually suggestive and may lead one's imagination to meditation. Trees and stones are frequently paired in a formal display alcove (tokonoma) or on table top displays. There is a natural yin-yang connection between the two art forms. Yin-Yang In the yin-yang relationship, one of opposite but complementary forces, yang represents strength and stability, while yin represents softness and vulnerability. In the tree/stone display, the tree is powerful in size and appearance. Jin and shari (weathered dead wood) testify to the perils of hundreds of years on the side of a mountain. Yet, at this time and place, resting in a bonsai container, the tree is totally dependent on its owner. One day of neglect, even one hour if temperatures drop, can be deadly. Failure to water can cause death or permanent damage. Failure to nourish can effect health and beauty. Failure to groom can cause pictorial imbalance.

The tree is yin The stone, most likely smaller in overall size and positioned subservient to the tree, is vulnerable only to dust. The stone doesn't need us for anything with possibly one exception. It prefers, but never demands, to be shown with its best front forward. The stone doesn't need us, we need the stone.

The stone is yang

Larry Ragle

Stone of the Month

April Program Last December we purchased a DVD from Chiara Padrini who wrote this note: “Back from a wonderful trip in Vietnam where I had the opportunity to meet some suiseki lovers and collectors. I had permission from the author, Mr. Duc Tam, a movie director who is also one of the main stone collectors in Vietnam, to spread the knowledge of Vietnamese Da Canh Nguyen Ban (suiseki art) through a DVD with dolby sound that he produced.

In the movie there are many Vietnamese stones, exhibitions, collections with owners and searching for stones in Vietnamese rivers. I enjoyed it a lot and I hope you can do the same.”

Thank you, Chiara, I’m sure we will! Come to the meeting on April 27th and view this DVD.

* Note: Chiara is giving four programs on stones at the BCI Convention in Kentucky in June. See page 11.

Your amazing finds from any Yuha Collecting trip!

Kathy Boehme’s above, Kathy Benson’s below

Sylvia Turner brought two friends, Paul and Karen Tate, to hear Richard’s presentation.

STONE OF THE MONTH: Any stone that came from anywhere in the world other than California. Sizes are in inches, L x D x H

The 1 inch wide inner m

argins are designed for use with a 3 hole punch.

VOLUME 29, ISSUE 4 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

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February Meeting Notes by Linda Gill

Phil Chang, Taiwan, from Cliff Johnson, 21 x 6 x 9

Linda Gill, China, Chicken blood stone Since Linda found it, we know it is natural, 7 x 5 x 8

Linda Gill, China Purchased so may have been “embellished”, 7 x 5 x 3

Al Nelson, Japan, gift from Claude Joseph, 7 x 2.5 x 2

Joseph Gaytan, British Columbia Found on the same beach as Don Kruger’s, 8 x 3 x 6.5

Don Kruger, British Columbia This flower stone was found on a Vancouver beach, 9 x 5 x 12

Jim Greaves, Washington State, 9 x 7 x 11

continued on page 10

March Program Notes by Linda Gill (Stone) Brother - Where Art Thou? When Richard Turner, professor of art at Chapman University and Director of its Guggenheim Gallery, told his colleagues that he was giving a lecture at a stone club meeting, they wanted to know if we were “stoners” (as in druggies). When he said it was a rock club they asked if we were a rocker's fan club. They didn't get it so he just gave up and wrote our lecture. He started the presentation with the picture of Mi Fu bowing to his brother - the rock - and asked why

Chinese and Japanese cultures would revere stones in this way but we do not. Investigating the question, Richard found many historical

similarities between eastern and western cultures. The Japanese have always honored Mt. Fuji as a sacred site. In India they revere Mt. Kailasha and the early Greeks named Mt. Olympus as the home of their gods. In both east and west stones have been used for important and/or sacred buildings for centuries. Today stone is also used as landscape material in both cultures. Seeing ourselves in natural stones is common in both

east and west. Caves and cliffs the world over have formations said to resemble famous people, animals and objects. Both cultures have National Parks that feature natural stone formations of great natural beauty such as arches, bridges and caves. Picture stones are found in both cultures as well. The Chinese have always had them and the Italian

Renaissance had picture stones that had certain areas painted out to emphasize the desired landscape. And both cultures have paintings that depict stones or are on stones. Some of these are works of fine art, others are the production of hobbyists.

Contemporary artist Robert Smithson celebrates the mass, texture and color of natural stone in his earthworks. The architect and designer Isamu Noguchi used stones in his gardens, but not with the same austerity as one finds in Japanese gardens.


So, why don't we in the west have a 'Ryoanji' considering all the similarities? First we have to look at the role of stones in our society. They were originally collected as part of 'curiosity cabinets' - a kind of miniature museum which included other odd things as well. They were collected to be named or classified, but not as intrinsically beautiful objects. They became venues of information - where was it collected? How old is it? Fossils were also collected, not for their beauty, but for what they could tell us about the evolution of life on the planet. Secondly, western culture developed in a primarily Christian context. In the pre-Christian world gods changed back and forth between gods and people or people and animals somewhat like the Taoist deities of ancient China who manifest themselves in diverse forms. Unlike the Taoist cosmology, in which the elements of the physical world are in constant change, western Christian cosmology is linear with God at the top of an order that descends through levels with angels, people, animals and objects (stones) below. Neither cosmology, however, insures respect for the natural world. The 3 Gorges Dam in China and strip mines in the US are unfortunate examples of our mutual disregard for nature.

In the east the human being is considered part of the natural world. Chinese scholars are often depicted meditating in mountain retreats. In the west the mountains are regarded as the devil's playground. Christ was tempted in the wilderness on the Mount of Temptation. The wilderness is a place of danger and dread in both pagan and early Christian thought. The legacy of that way of thinking is seen in our own names for natural formations. There is a Devil's Golf course in Death Valley. We have the Devil’s Tower in Wyoming (right). But we also have the Garden of the Gods!

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continued on page 6

Mi Fu Bows to a Rock by Hu Ruosi.

The Temptation on the Mount by Duccio

Dear Many, Through the years – frequently at meetings – an enthusiastic member will ask someone showing a stone: “Where did you find it?” or will voice the desire/lament: “Why not take me collecting with you” or “Why not lead a club trip to where you collect?” The answer will likely be a vague “somewhere up there,” an embarrassed silence, or perhaps a joke. One suspects there are sometimes misunderstandings and genuine hard feelings. The repeated questions regarding collecting sites and etiquette deserve consideration. Let me begin by stating some obvious facts that experienced field collectors know, but may not be so obvious to those with less or no experience who are only exposed to stones at a meeting, a vendor’s table, or in an exhibition: Good stones are hard to find; very good natural stones are rarely found. Yes, exceptions exist: one of the best Murphys stones I’ve ever seen was found by Harry Hirao’s driver who had little interest in looking for stones and, in boredom, uncovered the buried stone within a few feet of the car! Yes, a greenhorn may stumble upon an exceptional stone, as did Peter Bloomer years ago on the Stillaguamish River, but after years of subsequent collecting I am

confident that Peter will vouch for the law of ‘few and far between’. Yes, at some point, an experienced collector may discover a treasure trove as Ken McLeod did when he literally stumbled and fell onto his signature red ‘heart’ rock in the Trinity River. However, one can be reasonably certain that any accumulation of significant stones has taken considerable time and effort

to gather. The rarity of good stones and the dearth of potential sites at which to find them portend secrecy.

Collecting sites come in all sizes with varying degrees of potential. Aiseki Kai members are aware that the Yuha Desert is ‘endless’, but also that truly great stones are few. The Eel River is internationally known, but how many know that there are few viable ‘public” (non-restricted) access points and of these only three or four are large enough to keep a club busy for an even an hour or two … and that every club and collector in Northern California knows them! Thus, 6-14 hour trips to Northern California are not really feasible for a club outing – it would be all logistics with virtually no looking. Most other rivers are even less accessible and sites large enough to accommodate even two or three collectors for an hour or two of searching are scarce. By the time everyone in a group reached the river the first one or two to get there would have picked-up most everything worthwhile! I have heard many complaints that there is nothing at the Kern River, but its ratio of productivity to time spent searching is representative of most sites.

Beyond the wild card of pure luck, successful stone hunting requires persistence in reworking known sites, locating new points of access in areas generally known to have good stone, and exploring to discover entirely new sources. With few exceptions, consistently successful collectors have earned their ‘stripes’ by putting in long hours exploring where to collect as well as collecting itself. Over the years, Alice and I devoted approximately a third to half of most trips to exploring for new sites and, as importantly, trying to obtain legal access to them. We succeeded in some cases, but in many others came away empty handed. We spent three years trying to get entry into two properties on a northern California river. We finally received permission from one ranch only to have the elderly owner die a month later; on the second, we received permission and explored a mile of ‘virgin’ river finding only one stone – a large one Alice found that gave me a hernia hiking it the mile out on a 108+ day (top of pg 5). In a third case, on another river, we obtained enthusiastic permission from a ranch with a full mile of unexplored riverbed. We were ecstatic because we had previously had good luck both above and below the ranch. However, after a full day,

PAGE 4 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 29, ISSUE 4

Ask GuyJim Dear GuyJim, Why won’t you take me collecting with you???*##%!!*#!!???

Many Members of California Aiseki Kai

Plateau Stone, Stillaguamish River, Washington, Peter Bloomer 11 ½” W x 6 7/8”H x 5 1/8” D (29cm x 17cm x 13cm) Courtesy of NBF’s Awakening The Soul, Photo: Joe Mullan

we left without a single stone. Another rancher who owned one of our favorite sites was injured by his tractor and sold out to a San Francisco lawyer who immediately refused us access to a site where we had camped and collected for years. I’m confident that others can provide similar stories. In short, Alice and I spent more time scouting new spots than most collectors have spent at known sites actually looking for stones. There are practical reasons for not sharing small sites. Often it only takes experienced collectors a few minutes to glean all that is good. A site may see so little water that it may not be replenished from year to year. Some creeks and nominal rivers are so small that the first person in line is almost guaranteed to find all decent stones. Add to this that more than once we have returned to a site that has been reliable for years, only to find that high spring waters have completely buried it under tons of gravel or, seemingly impossible, large bars of stone have been completely washed away down river.

Physically, it must be acknowledged that serious stone hunting is likely to be too demanding for many would-be collectors. The hours are long: when Alice and I did our annual collecting with Jim Hayes from Pennsylvania, we reached the rivers at dawn and stayed until sunset. Weather can be the numbing cold of early spring or autumn, but more often 100+ in the summer. Few places are as convenient to the car as are the Kern River or Yuha Desert . Long, sometime difficult hikes and wading in fast water, even occasional swimming, are more common … and then there is the matter of mosquitoes, spiders, scorpions, rattlesnakes, pot growers, being confronted by guns and being attacked by drunken Indians – all of which we have encountered! In short, as noted before, collecting would be too hard a job if we had to do it. [Late breaking story: last week Ken McLeod was nipped in the backside by a horse that stole up behind him while he was bent over concentrating on extracting a stone in a pasture! … Sorry, no photo!]


Even if you can believe you can handle the physical parameters, before expecting to be included on ‘private’ stone collecting trips, perhaps you should consider whether you have ever put in the time to discover a new site that you would be willing to share. Experienced collectors do share, but circumstances can vary considerably from place to place. Private access is often contingent upon agreeing never to bring in others. After a few minutes thought, I came up with 16 sites that Alice and I have reciprocally shared with eight different collectors, but not between them. One keeps such covenants and sadly eliminates those individuals that do not. Early on, Alice and I did reveal new sites only to have 2nd and 3rd parties clean them out. Longtime California Aiseki Kai members are acutely aware that site access cannot be taken for granted. As Death Valley National Monument was expanded into a National Park we lost our traditional collecting areas of both Lake Hill and the Saddle Peak Hills; certain areas around Ludlow disappeared into the Mojave National Preserve and access to the Salt Spring Hills (big Dumont dunes area) has been severely restricted. Recently, the BLM has been closing old accesses to sierra rivers. There are still untapped sources out there, but finding them requires persistence. Along with your desire, realistically evaluate your level of determination and capabilities. If your request to be taken along collecting is met with a blank stare and stutter, don’t take it personally. Be persistent. Most collectors do want to share their love of stones and stone hunting and will reveal a few spots to get you started. Sure, the spot will have likely been picked-over, but rivers change and, as I have noted elsewhere, I have found a few favorite stones in the footprints of the experienced collectors in front of me.

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The views expressed in this column are personal, perhaps irreverent, irrelevant or just plain wrong and do not reflect the consensual view of California Aiseki Kai. Send your viewing stone questions (or comments) for GuyJim to [email protected] or 1018 Pacific Street, Unit D, Santa Monica, CA 90405 (310) 452-3680

GuyJim

Summit Stone, Thomes Creek, CA, Alice Greaves 10 ½” W x 11 ½” H x 6 ½” D (26.7cm x 29.2cm x 16.5cm)

Dangerous Critter: “I got my eye on you, McLeod”

But it is not all black and white - temptation and privation. In both east and west some special people have chosen to live 'out there'. St. Jerome lived in a cave and is depicted as having little shelter while a Chinese hermit living in the wilderness is depicted in a comfortable retreat, perhaps serving tea to a visiting friend. Japanese hermits ate well and even got intoxicated in

order to write poetry or paint landscapes. They were not as ascetic as western hermits were. But it is also the case that St. Jerome, who lived the last 10 years of his life in a cave outside of Bethlehem, had a library in his cave and was visited by his friends (below). In the 19th century German romantic painters such as Caspar David Friedrich and members of the American Hudson River School, including Thomas

Cole and Albert Bierstadt, painted landscapes that sought to embody the presence of the divine in the natural world. In these paintings the artist’s pursuit of the sublime and his reverence for the awesome power of nature parallels that of the brush and ink paintings of Song and Tang dynasty artists in China.


The Chinese scholar, hermit or poet, however, often seems more at ease with the natural world than his 19th century European and American counterparts (right). In the 20th century photographers such as Aaron Siskin produced images of rocks that exhibit the same aesthetic as suiseki. Ansel Adams’ iconic Full Moon Over Half Dome photograph (below) has many of the same qualities of a waterfall stone or a near-mountain stone that one of us might bring to a club meeting. We may not bow to our Stone Brother here in California, but there is, nonetheless, a strong tradition, dating back to the 19th century of appreciation of stone, rock formations and mountains that allies us to our brothers (and sisters) who collect viewing stones and scholars rocks in Japan, China and Korea.

PAGE 6

March Program continued from page 3

Walking on a Mountain Path by Ma Yuan

Hui Ke Offering His Arm by Sesshu

The Chalk Cliffs by Caspar David Friedrich

Saint Jerome in the Wilderness by Mantegna

VOLUME 29, ISSUE 4 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 7

18 18 18THTHTH A A ANNUALNNUALNNUAL K K KOREANOREANOREAN C C CLUBLUBLUB E E EXHIBITIONXHIBITIONXHIBITION On April 2-3, the Korean American Soosuk Club of Southern California staged a fabulous exhibition at the L.A. County Arboretum. We interviewed their founder, Sam Suk and their president, Chung Kruger, for a short article which will appear in the next issue of Golden Statements Magazine. Both Sam and Chung are also members of California Aiseki Kai. We plan to show our photos of their exhibit at a future meeting.

For those who may have missed it, here are six of the stone displays we photographed.

Chung Kruger

Ki Soon Um

American Viewing Stone Resource Center: Guest exhibitor Don Kruger

Eden Chung

Sam Suk

Larry and Nina

PAGE 8 VOLUME 29, ISSUE 4 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

YUHA ADVENTURES April 9-10

Yup… that’s snow. Lucky it warmed up as we went east to the Yuha. Dien & Helen Liang, Chieko &Tak Shimazu taking a lunch break

Buzz Barry, Warren & Kyra Haussler, Chris Barry & Joe James It was rugged but beautiful. Thanks to 4WD, we all made it.

Only the photographer missed being in the group shot. Thank you, Larry. We were 24 seekers and 11/2 dogs (see arrows).

Taka

Niko

CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 9 VOLUME 29, ISSUE 4

Lois Hutchinson gives 10 week old Niko a cuddle. Nina tells Niko that the great wine was provided by Ralph Johnson!

Jim Greaves and Joe James thanked Ralph for the wine, too! Yum! Hey, we all thanked Ralph (below)

Minoru & Kazue Takada, BJ Ledyard, Arlene James admire Buzz Barry’s find of the day

Kathy Benson, Lois, Arlene, Kathy Boehme, Jim & Taka and Bill Hutchinson make quick work of the pizza

Kathy, Janet Shimizu and BJ soak their tootsies. Below: breakfast the morning after. Marge, Kyra, Bill, Lois, Phil Chang & Jesse Krong

Below: Time to show off our finds and enjoy leftover pizza and beer on Sunday afternoon. We will want to return to this place!

PAGE 10 VOLUME 29, ISSUE 4 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

Sharon Somerfeld, Nevada, looks like jade, 4 x 3 x 3 Barry Josephson, China, gift from Manny Martinez, 8 x 2 x 4

Jim Greaves, Siberia. It resembles a Daumier maquette but is a meteorite. It’s not suiseki but meteorites have traditionally been used in China 5.5 x 4 x 4

Stone of the Month continued from page 2

Nina Ragle, Japan, the skin looks like an elephant’s hide, 5.5 x 3.5 x 2

Larry Ragle, Zaire, Africa, gift from Ralph Johnson. This stunning malachite is set off with a Cliff Johnson daiza, 8 x 3.5 x 6

Larry Ragle, Korea, gift from Marybel Balendonck, 5 x 3 x 3.5 Nina Ragle, Italy, gift from Luciana Queirolo, 6 x 3.5 x 2.5

One of the great joys of collecting is being able to exchange local stones with others and of course, receive stones from far away friends and places. Not only do these gift stones add immeasurably to our range of viewing stones, but they are wonderful reminders of our shared passion with special friends. Having stones from our travels brings back memories of places we have visited.

Programs: Larry Ragle 949.497.5626 [email protected] Treasury/Membership: Nina Ragle 949.497.5626 [email protected] Annual Exhibit: Jim Greaves 310.452.3680 [email protected] Exhibit Set Up: Marge Blasingame 626.579.0420 [email protected] Refreshments: Lois Hutchinson 714.964.6973 [email protected] Historian: Ray Yeager 760.365.7897 [email protected] Webmail: Bill Hutchinson 714.964.6973 [email protected] Newsletter: Larry and Nina Ragle 949.497.5626 [email protected]

April Contributors: Linda Gill, Jim Greaves and Larry Ragle. Mailing: Flash Partch Editor: Nina Ragle

Contact People

PAGE 11 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 29, ISSUE 4

Newsletter Committee

We hope you will participate. Please send any submissions to [email protected] 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.

Rare Opportunity for Stone Enthusiasts People interested in learning more about stone appreciation will have a rare opportunity to broaden their knowledge from one of Europe’s leading specialists. Chiara Padrini, President of the National College of Bonsai and Suiseki and board member of Bonsai Clubs International, will present a series of four lectures and discussions about stones on June 17 and 18 at the combined Bonsai Clubs International and American Bonsai Society convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Chiara is a well known and respected authority on stone appreciation and has travelled extensively throughout Asia, North American, and Europe in her studies and teaching about stones. The first session of the series will focus on basic suiseki followed in the afternoon by a second session on advanced suiseki. The second program will discuss various aspects of displaying stones. Her third presentation will be a thorough overview of Korean suseok, an area of stone appreciation not well understood by many North Americans. In her fourth and final session, Chiara will turn her attention to Chinese stone appreciation. Thus, at one event, people can learn about Japanese, Chinese, and Korean stones that are appreciated as natural art forms. Participants are encouraged to bring stones to the sessions for evaluation and critique.

Anyone interested in attending these sessions can register on line by visiting their website: http://www.bonsaiinthebluegrass.com/ The registration fee is $295 for the entire convention, if your registration is received before May 15, 2011.

Far right: Janet Shimizu, gift from Harry Hirao to Mas Moriguchi, Lingbi, China, 5 x 5 x 10

Right: Bill Hutchinson, Japan, “Daruma”. Bill said it is one of 500 or so stones that is ‘certified’. Daruma was an Indian monk who went to China and then Japan in the 15th century. Bill's stone came from the area where the monk taught, 4 x 4 x 7

Left: Lois Hutchinson, China, found in their hotel’s lobby. They bought it, 4 x 3 x 5

Ragle P.O. Box 4975 Laguna Beach CA 92652

SAN DIEGO BONSAI CLUB 46th Annual Spring Show, April 23-24, Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado, Room 101, San Diego. 10-5. Sales. Demos at 11 and 2. Free. Saturday night dinner reception and raffle. For more info call Steve Valentine 760.445.2548 or email him: [email protected]

DAI ICHI BONSAI KAI 25th Annual exhibit “Serenity Through Bonsai”, May 7-8, Nakaoka Community Center, Gardena, 10-4. Sales, raffle. A round-robin demo, Sat 1:00. Frank Goya demo, Sun 1:00. Free admission and parking. For more info: call Herb Eisenberg 310.545.5954

Coming Events

Leaves no stone unturned

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

aisekikai.com

Refreshments

Always check Golden Statements Magazine Calendar section for additional coming events

Thank you Harry Hirao, Linda Gill, Joseph Gaytan and Al Nelson for the March munchies. April appetite will be appeased by Mari Suzuki, Akio Okumoto and Bruce McGinnis.

Stone Sales Ken McLeod

209-605-9386 or 209 586-2881 [email protected]

californiasuiseki.com

BONSAI IN THE BLUEGRASS Louisville, KY, June 16-19, Fern Valley Hotel and Convention Center. Chiara Padrini on suiseki: See page 11.

GSBF CONVENTION XXXIV “Bonsai Full Circle” Nov 3-6, Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Riverside, CA

CALIFORNIA SUISEKI SOCIETY 16th Anniversary Suiseki Exhibition, June 11-12, 666 Bellevue Ave., Lake Merritt, Oakland. Sales. Info: email Felix Rivera at [email protected]

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