CCALIFORNIAALIFORNIA AAISEKIISEKI KKAIAI Volume 39, Issue 3 March 2021 Zoom in March! What Larry Said... We look forward to “seeing” you on the 25th. We are Your editor was inspired by Kunio Kobayashi’s video meeting on Thursday due to Paul’s teaching schedule. interview at the Japan Suiseki Exhibition in February to We begin at 7PM PST. Here is the zoom link: repeat Larry’s column from May 2010 Kobayashi-san said that great stones have presence and dignity. The . https://lmula.zoom.us/j/93425463109 pertinent aspects to consider are shape, color and texture. We will revisit our virtual exhibit at The Huntington so we can discuss the desert stones and stones from places other than the U.S. Of course, we will also share Suiseki appreciation is a lot like any other art; the our Stone of the Month! Please remember to send your greater the number of people who are moved by the photos to Paul prior to the 25th! [email protected] piece, the more highly regarded it will be. Of course, Also send them to me by the end of the month with size each person’s emotional response will be predicated on and source. a personal set of circumstances, but in the end, it is the community of interest who will judge. It is always nice Due to an unforeseen but most welcome space crunch, for each of us to enjoy our stones and the feelings they Paul’s recap of his February program, Stones on Stools, evoke, but for the big picture, the (great) stones most will appear in the April newsletter. universally understood will take on the mantle of ‘masterpiece’. (We are told that some are even called masterpiece because of their history but that is another Stone of the Month story.) Naturally, we would hope that our stones fall into It has been a year since the Covid pandemic restrictions this category and that is why we have guidelines to help began and finally it seems there is a change for the direct us toward that end. It is not a “whatever you better on the horizon. It is time for a little optimism. like” sort of art… rather, it is a somewhat arcane art, Spring is on the way and with that comes renewal! with a sophisticated palate, developed over time, and Are you with me? The stone of the month is any stone one that has evolved. Any one of us might stumble that suggests the hopeful season ahead. Plant pattern across a superb example of suiseki, and that is in part stones like flowers (mum stones are fall, not spring!) what keeps most of us looking. We are nonetheless and trees, frogs, snails, certain birds, lush landscapes, guided by some principles that are helpful and that is rain filled ponds and even waterfalls. Larry’s bright why we are encouraged to keep learning and trying to green distant mountain offers a sense of past rain and discover what that certain something is that sets one new growth. You have lots of choices so please send stone apart as special. your photos to Paul and then to me for the newsletter.. Even though there is no single set of rules to follow, whether it involves what the stones are called or how they are displayed, it is a fascinating subject that has captured our imagination and provides us with hours of enjoyment and relaxation. It hasn’t been easy trying to develop a single vocabulary for all our stones, but that process is worthwhile if one is to discover a greater depth of understanding. There is a difference between the stones one enjoys at home, recalling the day and so on…. and the stones we put “out there” for the world to see. Those stones, masterpieces or not, are the ones that are an indication of our knowledge of the art. Larry Ragle Eel River 18 x 7 x 9 Walnut daiza by Larry Larry Ragle PAGE 2 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 39, ISSUE 3 Announcements We have had multiple inquiries about a date for our next tanseki. Patience! We will let the science be our guide. We promise to keep you informed. Stone of the Month: Safe-at-home These sanctuary stones include hut, shelter and cave punch. with a 3 hole for use designed margins are inner The 1 inch wide stones. Measurements are in inches, w x h x d Jim Greaves Cave 10.5 x 4.25 x 8 Mokelumne River, CA Photos were taken by the owner Hanne Povlsen Shelter 5 x 3.5 x 3 Dumont Dunes Nina Ragle Cave 4 x 4.5 x 4 China Jack Levy Shelter 8 x 3 x 5.75 Yuha Desert. Linda Gill Shelter 3.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 Yuha Desert Butch Buddingh Shelter 5.25 x 3.75 x 4 Yuha Desert Butch Buddingh Shelter 3.75 x 1.5 x 2.25 Yuha Desert VOLUME 39, ISSUE 3 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 3 Philip Chang Hut 2 x 1.5 x 1 (purchased from Bill Hutchinson) China Phil Chang Hut 1.75 x .75 x .75 Yuha Desert Jim Greaves Hut 4.5 x 3.6 x 2.125 China Ron Maggio Hut 5 x 4 x 2.5 Japan Buzz Barry Hut 6.5 x 5 x 5.5 Yuha Desert Hanne Povlsen Hut 6.6 x 4 x 3.5 Korea Larry Ragle Cave 6.5 x 3 x 5 Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD Hanne Povlsen Shelter 7 x 3.5 x 5.5 Dumont Dunes PAGE 4 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 39, ISSUE 3 Ron Maggio Shelter 6 x 3 x 4 Japan Ron Maggio Cave 4.25 x 5 x 3.25 Japan Lucille Roberts Cave 10 x 4 x 3.5 (AVSRC, gift of Ralph Johnson) Dokutsu-ishi, Antarctica. Rather than being viewed as a mountain, this stone is better consid- ered as a near-view of a cliff face penetrated by both shallow and deep recesses. Jim Greaves Cave 6.25 x 3.125 x 3.25 Bras d’Or Lake, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This stone lacks depth and blind recesses, but is an example of how careful lighting can create a shadow sufficient to add some sense of mystery. Hanne Povlsen Shelter 5.75 x 3.5 x 3 Dumont Dunes Butch Buddingh Coastal shelter, low tide 4 x 4.75 x 3 Yuha Desert VOLUME 39, ISSUE 3 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 5 Jim Greaves ‘Sacred Cave’ stone, Dokutsu-ishi, 15 x 6 x 8 .5 California Coast, This cave has a massive ‘formality’ that suggests a setting for a religious pilgrimage site. Although most of the interior Alice Greaves Cave stone 10.75 x 5 x 4.125 Dokutsu-ishi, is visible, there are blind recesses both left and right of the broad Thomes Creek, This stone is impossible to photograph in a manner opening. that reveals the 7” deep cave that turns to the right. Ken McLeod (AVSRC) Cave 9.125 x 4 x 5.75 Stony Creek, CA Jack Levy Shelter 7 x 2.5 x 5 Yuha Desert Jim Greaves Hewn Cave 6.6 x 4.25 x 4 Salt Spring Hills, CA Although the cave is small, it is the dominant feature of this otherwise uninteresting stone. The cave has several well-delineated chambers suggesting modification as a religious site or dwelling. See cave close up on the right Just like our 4 previous zoom meetings, our February zoom was well attended with about 40 members from across the globe, so we assume that this is a successful alternative to in person meetings. We will continue as long as needed to keep us in touch and share our knowledge. Thank you all for your participation and support. Our stone of the month discussion was entertaining and educational. For those of you who missed it, the meeting was recorded so just ask Paul Harris for the link. Paul has been our host and life line and we are forever grateful to him for that. PAGE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 39, ISSUE 3 The 8th Japan Suiseki Exhibition by Wil checking in from Japan Though the situation was uncertain until only one week before, the 8th Japan Suiseki Exhibition opened as originally scheduled on February 14th, 2021. Soft restrictions applied to restaurants and bars throughout the city, but public museums were allowed to remain open according to their regular schedules. As a precaution, temperatures were taken at the entrance, hand sanitizer was provided, and masks were required at all times while in the exhibition venue, but importantly, the show went on. As expected, attendance was a fraction of the usual, with no visitors from outside of Japan and very few from outside of the greater Tokyo area for that matter, but there was a great sense of joy and relief in the air amongst those Its history is elucidated in both the exhibition catalogue who did attend, as it was likely the first opportunity and the bilingual Japanese/English publication, Suiseki since last February’s exhibition for many of these old – An Art Created by Nature – The Nyogakuan friends to meet and enjoy stones together face to face. Collection of Japanese Viewing Stones (2005). It is Fearing a poor performance, the Nippon Suiseki perhaps one of the most revered stones from Hokkaido Association made extra efforts to encourage in the Japanese suiseki world, and one of only a few participation, and much to our delight, the show had with a demonstrable prewar history.