C ALIFORNIA A ISEKI K AI
Volume 35, Issue 4
April Program
Master woodworker and Al Nelson’s
premier apprentice as a daiza carving
student, Phil Hogan will be
presenting the program on April 26th
at 7:30. Phil’s subject will be
“Preliminary considerations for
carving a daiza”. He will touch on
the following topics but not
necessarily in this order:
1 Choosing the front first
2 Choosing the viewing angles the front will have before
you begin.
3 What material will you use?
4 Will it be displayed indoors or outdoors?
5 If the daiza will be made by someone else, tell them as
much as possible about how you wish it to look.
6 If you will make it, what tools will you need?
7 Choosing a piece of wood significantly larger in all
dimensions than you think will be needed.
8 Will the daiza be painted or stained and then finished?
9 Are you allergic to saw dust?
10 Do you have any woodworking experience?
April 2017
Tanseki ~ Safety First
What a great weekend! It turns out that there is even
more to our success than having Marty Hagbery as
our amazing desert guide. We have the most fantastic
membership of any club, anywhere! As BJ said, these
are people you are not likely to encounter in your
“other” life. They are generous and smart and kind and
inspired. We are fortunate that we can share our
passion with one another.
Collecting stones is such fun but there is
another aspect to the adventure and that is getting there
and getting home. It is easy to dismiss that part in the
excitement of the moment. Aiseki Kai tries to be ever
mindful of the safety factor.
On Sunday Jesse Krong, Janet Shimizu and
Phil Chang were reminded of the risk of driving on
the Yuha’s sandy roads as they were leaving the
collection site. They were literally stuck in a rut. Luck
arrived in the form of Big Red, Al Nelson’s 4WD
truck. Al and Phil Hogan strapped Jesse’s car to Big
Red and thankfully, it freed the car and its precious
cargo so they could exit the desert for home.
Don’t miss this chance to learn from an expert!
Stone of the Month
You guessed it… folks really want to show off the
stones they just found in the Yuha! We understand that
it is a bit much to expect these newbies to have a daiza
but many Yuha stones have flat bottoms which are
suitable for suiban display (see below). Jack Levy will
be the photographer and Phil Chang will record each
stone’s size.
Larry found this suiseki with red inclusions on Sunday: 8 x 3.5 x 3.5
One might think
that this hardly needs
repeating but the Yuha
(and most other hunting
grounds) are in remote
areas devoid of services.
We get caught up in the moment and forget where we
are! We need to always remember: safety first!
As relieved as we are, we also know that Jesse
and Janet and Phil are very grateful that this story had
~Larry Ragle
a happy ending.
PAGE 2
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
Meeting Notes
Karen Higgins, Eel River watershed (collector Ken McLeod) 9 x 7 x 5
STONE of the MONTH: Waterfall stones
We are also pleased to receive email submissions from
our geographically distant members. Thank you Karen
Higgins (Bend, Oregon), Rick Klauber and Edd Kuehn
(both from Seattle, Washington)
Measurements are in inches, w x h x d
Karen Higgins, Kern River,
3 x 4.5 x 2.75
Rick Klauber, Skagit River Valley,
WA 2.75 x 9.75 x 4.75
Emma Janza, from Japan 3.5 x 2.5 x 2
BJ Ledyard, Murphys, CA 4.5 x 7 x 3
Sharon Somerfeld 4 x 5 x 2
Janet Shimizu (collected by her dad, Mas Moriguchi) 10.5 x 6.5 x 7
The 1 inch wide inner margins are designed for use with a 3 hole punch.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: We tied up a few loose ends
regarding the Yuha trip and because we had a standing
room only crowd waiting to see the Kristin Zethren
film, we just went straight to it. Please see Linda Gill’s
program notes on page 7, “Hunting the Stone– Suiseki
in the West”. It was outstanding! Thank you Kristin.
(We hope she will make it to a future meeting and talk
about the process and what led to its production.)
VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
Hanne Povlsen (collector Frank English) 6 x 6 x 4
Linda Gill, Garnet Hill, CA 6 x 5 x 2.5
AVSRC (collector Shigame Kitamura) 7.75 x 3 x 4.5
Harley Newman 8 x 6 x 5
Nina Ragle, Thomes Creek, CA 6 x 7 x 3
Buzz Barry 7 x 3 x 5
Edd Kuehn 7.25 x 4.75 x 3.5
Edd Kuehn 6.5 x3.5 x 3.5
PAGE 3
PAGE 4
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
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Ask GuyJim
Dear Readers,
Beyond the stone – considerations for presenting viewing stones within a thematic concept, Part VII:
Three-stone thematic displays: Auxiliary supports
Once you have selected your three-stones to be
presented in some thematic association, you will face
the practical problems of presenting them as a unified
display. Most often one’s main concern will be finding
satisfactory furnishings or other auxiliary supports.
Although you may have a strong sense of what would
make your ideal presentation, e.g., that nice Japanese
rosewood box stand, if your stones are well matched
with regard to size, directional flow, color, etc., you
will likely find that you are not limited to any one
option – or even in need of a costly stand at all!
Before concentrating on my already expressed
personal preference for employing round stands, I will
try to illustrate the above point with various options for
presenting the Nocturne thematic group introduced in
the last issue. For the Nocturne I tend to prefer the
tighter, more contemporary presentations, but you will
see that there are several viable options, so evaluate
them for yourself. One or another might be deployed to
best advantage under different exhibition situations.
The Nocturne:
Regardless of the specific version mounted and
viewers’ individual interpretations, this grouping has
been a consistent favorite with the public. For me, there
is a pensive, melancholy atmosphere of mystery: who
is this figure we are spying on; why is he/she at the
beach at night; lonely or just alone? Is the figure
looking off towards the surf? Or, with head cocked, at
the moon ... Or at nothing but an internal memory? I
very much sense the unseen, contradictory sounds of
‘dead silence’ and crashing of the surf. Do you prefer
the concentration of the nighttime image on the dark
jiita or the more expansive placement on the tablecloth?
1. (See below left) Note the clean compactness and sense of the
nighttime setting as shown in last month’s display using the
miniature, dark pieces of wood in an ‘open’ arrangement (no
overlapping of elements) on a unifying black jiita.
2. (See above) An ‘open’ display without an underlying jiita.
3/4. (See below) ‘Tight’ arrangements with overlapping elements.
VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
PAGE 5
[While it might not be a common concern, absolute size of an entire display can become critical when dealing
with fixed exhibit spaces and cases so these arrangements were all photographed with the same size backdrop
(an approximately 40” spread) to show differences in the absolute table space covered by each display.]
7. Construction of this Japanese step-stand is a little heavy and the
style rigidly compartmentalized. The dark wood finish and improved
spacing prove more satisfactory, but Midnight Surf still feels tight and
boxed in. While here it was easy to maintain the desired relative
hierarchal perspective and positioning within the round stands, note
that with this one exception, we could not satisfactorily preserve it in
numerous attempts with other step and box stands of various size and
shelf configurations.
5. Combining odd pieces of display furnishings seldom proves
satisfactory; even with a relatively large inventory of stands, this
poorly spaced, distracting group was the best we could do.
8. This relatively small Chinese round stand is lightly constructed
and the black finish lends unifying support for the nighttime
connotation ... But the Midnight Surf stone is still squeezed more
than one would prefer.
6. This small step stand – made by early CAK member Gail
Middleton – is marginally serviceable, but Midnight Surf is
uncomfortably tight, restricting any sense of atmosphere. The color of
the stand separates the elements rather than helping to unify them.
9. This larger round stand was custom modified by Tom Scott, giving
it wider shelves for stone display. Although of slightly heavier
construction, it provides very comfortable breathing space and nice
balance. This display retains the original sense of relationship
between the stones... but with less intensity. Yes, Midnight Surf
could still use a bit more room, but here the space ‘opens’ as the
curve of the hoop parallels and expands outward from the stone.
Note that the curve of Moonlit Figure also gets some reinforcement
from the curve of the hoop. Employing this stand sacrifices the
visually unified intensity of the dark, compact approaches above for
greater overall exhibition impact and elegance ... And, it puts more
emphasis on the individual stones, less on their compositional ‘story’
relationship; instead, the viewer is required to interpret and integrate
the stones, an approach that is essentially much closer to the
Japanese.
PAGE 6
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
10/11. Here the grouping is simply presented on a selection of our
standard ADM (Auxiliary Display Modules). Without hassle or cost,
your own thematic group might be cleanly and effectively presented
on any one of numerous combinations of ready-made ADM chosen
to suit the venue. For a few dollars more you could create your own
custom set, stained or painted to enhance your display!
Many possibilities with their strengths and
weaknesses have been presented; in truth, even the
slightest adjustments of placement could have provided
another set of subtle, but observable comparisons. For
not the last time, let me close by reminding you that to
my knowledge my approaches to thematic display do
not represent any known Japanese practice, one that
focuses almost exclusively on presenting an
individual suiseki.
GuyJim
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 or call
(310) 452-3680
~Definitely Not Suiseki~
Jim Greaves got a little help from his friends while out
looking for a prize in the Yuha Desert recently.
Out of curiosity, Jim checked out this isolated,
log-like stone, knowing that it was not, in fact, petrified
wood, but sandstone from a layer of old seabed still
visible in nearby hills. This dense sandstone is hard, but
thin areas remain
brittle and the skin,
friable. Everyone
agreed the form was
that of a literally
‘fantastic’ figure,
perhaps a wizard or
Alien from Area
51. If it survives
further handling and
can be mounted,
perhaps one day it
will welcome visitors
to a children’s
exhibit at The
Huntington.
(We love the
cooperative effort.)
VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
March Program Notes
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
by Linda Gill
The film opens with Ann Horton defining
suiseki and showing a display of Ken McLeod’s
stones. She relates that the closest location for his
hunting is 3.5 hours away and the furthest is 20 hours
drive. Jim Greaves tells that the tradition of collecting
stones began in China and then spread to Korea and
then to Japan. In China it is called gongshi, in Korea,
suseok and in Japan suiseki. Nina clarified that suiseki
usually refers to a landscape stone and that most other
stone shapes are called viewing stones. According to
Gudrun Benz the term ‘suiseki’ is commonly used in
Europe and it is an art form when the stone is mounted
on a daiza or in a suiban. There are about 5,000,000
practitioners in China and 700,000 in Japan.
Stone collectors often return from a hunting
trip with ‘leaverites’; as in you should ‘leave her right
there’. Stones are usually collected in or near streams
or rivers and often in deserts carved by the water or
wind. But each trip takes you into a natural
environment where you are looking closely at nature
and enjoying it. Gear for the trip may include a
backpack or pocketed vest, a crowbar, a longshoreman’s hook, a golf ball retriever to turn stones and a
bag and orange ribbon to mark stones so you don’t
have to carry them all. Our most typical hunting place,
the Yuha Desert, has a number of different types of
stones and their origin is unknown. One theory is that
they were deposited by an early glacier. Larry Ragle
says the best part of stone collecting is the hunting.
Marty Hagbery reminds us to rub our stones
(while watching TV) to bring out theirs skin and Larry
waters his every day; a Japanese practice called
yoseki (to the same end). Nina Ragle’s boat stone and
Judy Hsiao’s hut stone are excellent examples of good
stones found in the Yuha. And it was Judy’s first time!
More examples of good stones can be found at
The Huntington Gardens in San Marino. Jim praised
the Zen garden; it is a wonderful place for
contemplation away from everything mechanized. It
induces calm. The ‘islands’ are stones in waves of
sand. The stones are subtle and the horizon dark to
represent nature. Kikue was named in memory of Jim’s
wife, Alice Kikue Greaves, a stone of red jasper with
one mum flower. Some stones are cut and polished.
These are called biseki in Japanese.
China has appreciated stones for many
centuries and many Chinese stones have found their
way into Japan. But in China many are rough and very
large. They are sold in ‘bone yards’ as stones are
considered the bones of the earth. At one time stones
PAGE 7
were more valuable than gold. Good Chinese stones
often have many holes because the gods are believed to
live in the openings. Many Chinese stones ring when
struck and Chinese bases can be highly carved with
wrinkled skins. In the past Taihu stones were carved by
families and then replaced in the lake. 100 years later
they were ‘rediscovered’ and sold as natural stones.
Today stones are carved openly.
Desert stones are viewing stones because there
are no deserts in Japan and therefore no proper
category for them among the Japanese classifications.
Completely white stones are also prohibited because
white is the color associated with death in Japan.
Figure stones resemble people, animals or objects.
Paradolia is the personalization of a nonliving object;
like making a happy face. It is fairly common and
often found among stone collectors.
Two more interesting stones shown were
Nina’s 2-sided hut stone that had to have a hole in both
the diaza bottom and its jiita (table) to be shown without cutting it and Jim’s suggestive and subtle Murphys
stone. All Murphys stones are composed of two
minerals - limestone and quartzite, but Jim’s stone has
unusual coloration. Making a daiza indicates a special
stone. Water related stones and bonsai can be sprayed
if the stone is in a suiban. Smooth, good sand shows
respect for the stone. Special sand for stones can be
ordered from Korea but is very expensive. Jim has
40/50 different kinds of sand and keeps small samples
of each making it easier to select an appropriate one.
A display - stone(s), scroll and/or bonsai /
accessory figures - should be a visual haiku. Gudren
says that stones can be a gift. She has the first
chrysanthemum stone found in Europe and a Song
dynasty scroll showing Mi Fu bowing to his older
brother - a stone. These older stones and works can be
very expensive. She said the most she and Willi had
paid for a stone was 5000 euros. Stones can also
complete a picture. She showed a Qing stone
resembling a chicken and a Nine Dragon River stone
that was a sail on a wooden ship base.
The video closed with images from the Aiseki
Kai 25th show at The Huntington Gardens. Karen
Higgins and Kit Blaemire are docents welcoming
guests. One of the best tiger striped stones (from Bob
Watson) was exhibited by Jim. Phat Vo showed his
wonderful black doha from the Kern River with great
patina and relates how he resisted his friend’s attempts
to interest him in suiseki until he was enlightened.
Now he understands wabi-sabi. And several other
outstanding stones were pictured from a show that
offered some of the best of the west in viewing stones
and suiseki.
PAGE 8
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
Yuha Desert Collecting Trip : April 1 - 2
Who could have imagined that this late in the season
we would be rewarded with such excellent weather!
The threat of wind never materialized and oh so many
wildflowers were in bloom, as was the ocotillo.
35 of us (and 3 doggies) enjoyed a couple of
splendid days doing what we love, hunting the stone!
This lovely group’s age spans 80 years (Warren is 89
and our newest rising star, Angelina, is 9).
The Saturday night party by the pool was all the fun!
Loads of yummy salads, pizza and other treats as well
as more than our fair share of wine (one was called
“Rock Hound”) and the awesome company of friends!
We loved meeting new members, Jay, Nelson, Alison,
Raj and Jessica. Truly, as our friend Ralph Johnson
likes to say, “if you didn’t have fun, you just weren’t
trying!” (9 are AWOL from the picture below.)
VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
PAGE 9
Thank you Jim Greaves, Jay Strommen, Phat Vo and Veronica Romero for filling in for Larry’s untimely
camera malfunction! That’s just another example of the wonderful people you are (as noted by Larry on page 1).
It was a truly festive evening on the patio. Our club’s conviviality cannot be overstated. The next morning we were ready for more and Marty
obliged by taking us to an area we had not been to in years due to its inaccessibility. 4WD required. Magical… and like old times. Thank you!
PAGE 10
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
Pg 8: group, Phat Vo, Warren Haussler and BJ Ledyard, Richard Aguirre, Angelina Casas
Pg 9: Phat and Lisa Vo, John and Pat Palmer, Al Nelson and Phil Hogan, group, Chuck Barker, Alison Dalton, Nelson Chen and Jay
Strommen, group, Al Nelson and Marty Hagbery, Buzz Barry, Phil Chang and Jim Greaves
Pg 10: Jim Greaves and Jay Strommen, Larry Ragle, Taka, Angelina Casas and Marty Hagbery, distant view, Lisa Vo jumps for joy!
California Bonsai Society Suiseki Display
It was nice to have the opportunity to display a suiseki
at this well known bonsai exhibit which is held in the
same venue as our annual show at The Huntington.
The stone once belonged to our teacher’s
teacher, Ichiu Katayama, the founder of the Keido
School of Display.
Yes, the birds are bit big, hopefully to deter
sticky fingers.
~Nina
CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI
VOLUME 35, ISSUE 4
PAGE 11
The Potomac Viewing Stone Group presents the 2017 exhibit:
“Japanese and American Viewing Stones:
A Legacy of Beauty and Enjoyment”
The gift of bonsai from Japan in 1976 was a
major influence on the bonsai community in the United
States. The lesser known gift of six Japanese stones has
also significantly influenced the viewing stone
community in the United States, and especially those of
us fortunate to live near this museum. The exhibit on
the second table in this space is a tribute to the 40th
Anniversary of the opening of the Bonsai Museum,
including many fine old photos and a newly edited
video of the shipping and arrival of the precious trees.
To show our appreciation and celebrate the gift of
stones, the Potomac Viewing Stone Group is exhibiting
in the remaining side spaces, showing Japanese stones
from our member’s collections on the first table, and
American stones from member’s collections on the third
table. Careful observation will detect many similarities
and some differences. The eye and heart of American
collectors are so very similar to that of Japanese
collectors, and we sincerely thank the Japanese
collectors for showing us the way. It is our honor to
display many fine pieces from our growing collections
from both countries. Thanks to our photographer, Mike
Colella for the fine photos. Think stones, and enjoy!
~Glenn Reusch
[Ed NOTE: I fully intended to show much more of the PVSG exhibit pictures in this issue of our newsletter but the
available space ran out. This is just a teaser…. Expect to see more of their beautiful exhibition in the May issue of
our newsletter. My apologies to Glenn and Mike and the rest of PVSG for the delay.]
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.
Contact People
Programs: Larry Ragle
Treasury/Membership: Nina Ragle
Annual Exhibit: Jim Greaves
Exhibit Set Up: Marge Blasingame
Refreshments: Janet Shimizu
Beverages: Phil Hogan
Historian: Ray Yeager
Webmail: Chris Cochrane
Newsletter Committee
949.497.5626
[email protected]
949.497.5626
[email protected]
310.452.3680 [email protected]
626.579.0420
[email protected]
310.822.6012 [email protected]
626.256.4609
[email protected]
760.365.7897
[email protected]
804.918.4636
[email protected]
April Contributors: Linda Gill, Glenn Reusch,
Jim Greaves, Larry Ragle.
Mailing: Flash Partch
Editor: Nina Ragle
We hope you will participate. Please send any
submissions to [email protected] no more than 10
days following our monthly meeting. Thank you!
Ragle
P.O. Box 4975
Laguna Beach CA 92652
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
Leaves no stone unturned
aisekikai.com
Coming Events
SAN DIEGO BONSAI CLUB
DAI ICHI BONSAI KAI
52nd Annual Spring Show, April 29-30,
Balboa Park, Casa del Prado, Room 101,
San Diego, 10-5. Sales. Demos at 11 and 1.
Free. For more info: email
[email protected]
or go to: sandiegobonsaiclub.com/show
32nd Annual Bonsai Exhibit, “Serenity
through Bonsai”, May 6-7, Nakaoka
Community Center, Gardena,
Sat 10-4, Sun 10-3. Demo by Frank
Goya, Sun at 1:00. Sales area. For more
info contact Doyle Saito: 310.539.9265
Stone Sales
Ken McLeod
209-605-9386 or 209 586-2881
suisekistones.com
GSBF 40th CONVENTION
Riverside Convention Center, October 25-29
For more information: gsbfconvention.org
Refreshments
Freeman Wang
626-524-5021
Suiseki-Viewing Stone Sale
stores.ebay.com/thestoneking
Always check Golden Statements Magazine
Calendar section for additional coming events
Thank you to Hanne Povlsen, Angelina
Casas & Veronica Romero, the Ragles,
Harley Newman, Uyen Truong, Jack
Levy, BJ Ledyard, Mika Brefogle and Janet Shimizu
for the March munchies! Fantastic!!
April’s appetite appeasers will be provided by
Buzz Barry, Phil Chang, Uyen Truong and Naomi
Yoshida. Thank you beautiful volunteers!