Room Service

CC ALIFORNIAALIFORNIA A A ISEKIISEKI K K AIAI Volume 33, Issue 6 June 2015

Wow! If you were at the May meeting you are a piece of history. Kathy Boehme, assisted by Jan Gorden, filled the back of the room with her hand built, well made suiban, from large to small and in all the right colors. We arrived at 7:00, and the sales were already winding down. We missed the first surge of excitement, but as we stepped into the room we could sense the joy and the exhilaration in our members who just found what they were looking for, the perfect suiban to honor their favorite landscape stone. Even newbie, Jack Levy, made a serious commitment with a few suiban to start his collection! Thank you Kathy, for making dreams come true. So many happy people. Late comers were disappointed.

Bill and Lois Hutchinson are moving to Upper St. Clair, PA this summer. They have been major players in California Bonsai Society, Kofu Bonsai Kai, Santa Anita Bonsai, The Shohin Bonsai Society of Southern California, the Bonsai-a-thon at The Huntington, and the Golden State Bonsai Federation. Bill is past president of nearly every club he has ever joined. Lois has been secretary or chairman of something important in every club she has joined. These people are the doers! Of course, the most significant contributions for us has been their role in Aiseki Kai. Bill made our show labels for 20 years. Together they handled refreshments for our meetings for 27 years! They have always said “yes” whenever we needed them. We would not be where we are today without them. Wednesday night they got a well deserved standing ovation from all in attendance. We will miss our dynamic duo. Bill and Lois, we wish you every happiness. ~Larry Ragle

Swap meet! This is a terrific opportunity to upgrade your collection and winnow down those pieces that no longer serve your needs. Come on June 24th and bring anything you would like to sell or trade. No leaverites please. Most of us have plenty of those. Because the length of the stone swap/sale is unknown, the evening will have no formal lecture. Jim Greaves will moderate what is hoped will be serious presentations and discussion of The Stone of the Month (see below). Any additional meeting time will be available for an ‘off the record’, ‘open mike’ session of Ask GuyJim. For this session you are welcome to bring additional stones that strongly attract you with their ‘potential’, but for which you have not determined best orientation or a way of formal presentation. Jim Greaves will be the ‘master of ceremonies’ for the June meeting and Don Kruger will be the photographer. Buzz Barry will record the stone data. Thank you all for having our back. ~Au revoir ...

Stone of the Month

This month select one or two stones that you consider your best examples of Japanese suiseki form and/or essence. ... And be prepared to explain why. We seek a serious, on topic discussion so please be patient and save other finds for another meeting. (We think this Kern River stone exhibits a decidedly Japanese suiseki form.)

Thank you for all the responses to my request for comments on the stone placement question. Your input added immeasurably to the conversation. I think we all learned something (see page 8).

June Program

ANNOUNCEMENTS: We welcomed Kit Blaemire back from her trip around the world. It was also great to see long distance members Candace Key from San Rafael, Phat & Lisa Vo from Phoenix, Peter Bloomer and Mary Mulcahy from Sedona! The latest update on Hanne Povlsen is that she continues to improve.

STONE OF THE MONTH: (Suiban suitable stones)

The 1 inch wide inner m

argins are designed for use with a 3 hole punch.

VOLUME 33, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

PAGE 2

May Meeting Notes

continued on page 8

Linda Gill started us off with her suiban suitable stone

Lisa helps Phat show his stone

Al Nelson shows his Yuha stone Peter Bloomer has 2 stones

Mary Mulcahy has a desert stone

Janet Shimizu ... and Ann Horton show their stones

Thank you, BJ Ledyard, for letting us use your new Kathy Boehme made suiban so we could play with our stones. Here are four. Two are front and back. Because this was about placement, we did not record sizes and your editor forgot to take names….

Peter likes his new suiban

With photos contributed by Jim Greaves, Don Kruger and Larry & Nina Ragle, Larry produced a slide show which he introduced. Don and Jim provided the narrative. Their combined effort made for an excellent presentation.

“Korean American Viewing Stone Club of SoCal”

This was the 20th show of the club and was held in Ayres Hall at the LA County Arboretum. The exhibit room has been updated with new wood siding on the outside. Several of the stones were from SoCal beaches. In modern Korean practice the stones resemble the Japanese style, but the daiza can be 'fancier', more like the Chinese style. Suiban are the same as the Japanese style. The Chinese prefer gaudier suiban and stones with more holes. Korean stone collecting is 'soosuk' and means the same as suiseki - 'water stone', but Koreans often write out a homonym 'su' which means 'longevity' stone. The Koreans also have 'kwaesuk' which translates 'weird stone'. It implies special/distinguished stone. Koreans appreciate the stone's survival - its resistance to nature's efforts to erode it. The calligraphy at the entry was brushed by 'Kooksa' ('Stew Pot') Mr. Yoon, who was the best Korean calligrapher in the U.S. One of his scrolls reads: "Stone obsession purifies the mind". (A motto for us all?) The show was set up by Don, his wife Chung, and Eden Chung... with the help of two friends. About 75 stones were displayed and almost half of the stones belonged to Don and Chung. Eden Chung is the

sensei (teacher) of Korean stone history. The orchids displayed at the show are native to volcanic Jeju Island which is about an hour's flying time south of the Korean

VOLUME 33, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

peninsula. Similar orchids can also be found in Japan. The displayed collection of orchids on rocks were raised in San Gabriel, and brought in for the show by enthusiast Mr. Chung, who does not sell. The large calligraphy at the back of the hall is a modern copy of an 11th Century Chinese poem titled "Mount Wuyi / Nine Bend River". This mountain/river complex is a famous haunt for recluses and tourists in SE China. Each panel of the poem describes a particular view, and one panel gives an introduction making 10 panels in all.

There was also a large wooden screen that was made by an assistant to the 'living treasure' woodcarver of Korea. Its scenery was not carved or painted, but made by wood burning - most unusual! 94

An interesting sand in the show came from the Guadalupe Dunes; it was tan and larger than most beach sands. There was also a unique doban; it was fiber glass plated with copper. Steve Yong's picture stone was called Jindo because he saw the island of that name in the stone. We would probably see mountains above a salt plain. It had a bronze accent - a turtle boat - called that because it had metal plates completely covering the deck - the first armored boat (see April newsletter, page 1). It was famous because in 1592 it allowed the Korean fleet to defeat Toyotomi Hideyoshi's fleet which was 3 or 4 times larger. When the Japanese tried to invade again with 133 boats, Admiral Yi chose to face them in the Jindo strait which limited

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May Program Notes by Linda Gill

continued on page 10

Last month we explored physical considerations with respect to wetting desert stones, specifically cautions about both passive and intentional watering when not on display. The decision, perhaps dilemma, as to ‘whether or not to wet’ certain stones within a display context requires a discussion of more subjective factors. As indicated last month, wetting may increase the color saturation -– thus darkening the stone or revealing a more vibrant or richer hue – but there is a potential downside. Even as the stone becomes more colorful it may simultaneously become less effective at evoking the sense of natural landscape that it had captured so realistically when dry. The less intense surfaces of dry stones visually mimic a prime effect commonly encountered in the desert: the atmospheric scattering of different wavelengths of light that results in a general diffusion, effectively a whitening/graying of the images we perceive, the effect being directly proportional to distance. For this reason, you will generally find that intense colors are more naturally suitable for formations that you would likely be viewing at a closer range, such as buttes, arches, hoodoos. Thus our question evolves into one of personal perception and taste: does one select for beautiful saturated colors that may refrain intense hues you encountered in New Mexico or for the more subtle color and patina that you experienced while collecting in the Mojave or Yuha? Does one see the mid-day haze, the twilight blaze of color, or a dark, backlit silhouette? Wetting selects ‘wow’ over ‘sublime’. Most of us who have spent time collecting in the desert have been struck with the observation that many desert stones can be uncannily successful at representing miniature versions of their own geomorphological environment. Sharply pointed or bony ridges, cinder cones, mesas, buttes, pinnacles, window rocks – whatever, are all found on stones that fit into our hands. Even the tiniest stone may exhibit fractal representation of the myriad ridges and gullies of the neighboring mountain that birthed it. With such stones that reprise the images of desert landscape, my usual preference is to retain their natural dry surface – perhaps unconsciously evoking some Southwestern sense of wabi-sabi, especially with those stones having more nuanced, subtle gradations of color. That said, in an ironic twist, we find that in addition to providing the above self- referential stones,

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the desert continues to provide many of the most compelling images of landforms and features specifically associated with water, even lots of water: islands with promontories, sea cliffs, sharply graded edges with intricate coves and scalloped coastlines that would never survive in a tumbling river; chiseled coastal rocks undercut with sea caves; stately coastal stacks; arches and natural bridges; ultrathin sandbar. (See shore stone from Garnet Hill below.) The impact

of these water related images from the desert is often enhanced when they are displayed wet within a suiban with sand, sand and water, or simply water alone. In this case, the question of salt leaching or deposits becomes moot because usage dictates that most such stones will be viewed when wet. Any discernable white salt deposits will be readily understood as the natural residue from sea spray or receding water levels. One final observation regarding the wetting of stones: applying water to small stones, especially when beads of water droplets form or an overly wet, transparent and/or reflective surface results, will destroy any sense of scale and illusions of landscape, reverting even the best viewing stone back to the objective state of a small, wet rock.

PAGE 4 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 33, ISSUE 6

... We continue Debra and David Melitz’s question regarding the wetting of desert stones, exploring other considerations that may affect one’s decision ‘to wet or not’.

Ask GuyJim

‘Wetting’ without water: Last month I cautiously condoned the occasional wetting of a desert stone by spraying with water to reveal color. The use of water may be considered a temporary wetting, with any effects largely reversible upon dry out. But beyond employing water, the optical and aesthetic effects of wetting with water can be approximated, occasionally improved upon, by ‘wetting’ with other substances that similarly modify the physical properties of light at the surface-air interface: absorption, reflection and refraction. It should not come as a surprise that many early collectors could not resist the temptation to enhance

CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 5 VOLUME 33, ISSUE 6

their desert treasures, maximizing the brilliant colors by applying oils, waxes, hairspray, varnish or lacquer, or by mechanically polishing. In the early days of California Aiseki Kai, pure and natural were definitely relative terms. Charles “Chuck” Kantzer, an avid collector of desert stones and a florist by trade, discovered that a ‘gold’ florist spray converted his terrifically shaped mesa stones (collected from Saddle Peak Hills) from a rather non-descript, dull brown to an incredibly rich chocolate confection (see below).

The colors and patterns of the Indian Blanket stones provided an overwhelming temptation: Cliff Johnson and a few others eventually decided to forgo the natural surface altogether, grinding down fractured edges, polishing and eventually carving the relatively soft stone into sculptural forms (biseki) that emphasized their rich, abstract patterns (see below). One might not want to go so far as sculpting, but the potential for revealing the greater beauty of many

Indian Blanket Stones would seem a fair argument in support of artificial ‘wetting’ with subtle surface coatings. There might be circumstances where a principled, absolutist approach would deny a greater good. If you viewed Melba Tucker’s well-known Geisha Girl at our recent 25th Anniversary Exhibit (on loan to our exhibit from the National Viewing Stone Collection at the Bonsai & Penjing Museum, U. S. National Arboretum), you may have noted that the stone had both extremely intense color and a highly polished

surface. The effect may be show stopping, but don’t be disappointed if you never find such a stone in such a natural state for, in layman’s terms, the stone has been gooped up! There is credible, if anecdotal evidence that Melba soaked her stones in a vat of hot wax, however, in this case, testing revealed that Geisha Girl (above) had actually been varnished or lacquered. For the record, her second stone, Mountains with Waterfalls from Lake Hill in the Panamint Valley was also tested as having a similar coating that was responsible for its exceptional glossy black appearance (below).

VOLUME 33, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 6

These occurrences of old ‘enhancing’ surface coatings – let us designate them as initial or original surface coatings – raise philosophical questions as to how we should present these historic stones now and in the future. In any isolated case this may not seem particularly relevant and one would likely decide according to taste, but the question becomes more nuanced when looking at a broader spectrum of such stones and how they reflect the history of collecting and stone appreciation itself. How should we deal with such historic stones within the AVSRC Collection: do you accept the coatings as history even if to us they may now appear disfiguring or do you remove them to present a more natural look and ethos? I began with the prominent examples of Melba’s stones because they are fresh in everyone’s memory, not to single her out as a miscreant. Melba was not the only ‘cheat’, nor the first, nor the last. Robert (Bob) Watson introduced Melba and many others to the concept of suiseki. In the late 1970’s when he and I often lunched together in the Japanese Garden at the Huntington, he constantly bitched and moaned over Western enthusiasts’ impure practices; however, in later years as I eventually obtained many of his most published stones, in doing so I encountered heavy layers of rock-hard, yellowed linseed oil (see below). Happily

from our current perspective of appreciation, being an art conservator by trade, I was able to remove these ‘enhancements’ before it ever occurred to me to consider that the stones might represent historic statements to be preserved. Regardless, in retrospect I should have at least documented them in their state when acquired before removing the coatings. Practical reasons for any proscriptions against coating desert stones are really no different than those for river stones that have similar surface characteristics: subtle, powdery surfaces when dry, more intense depth

of color when wet. The potential reversibility (ease of removal) of any coating should be considered, but, unfortunately, in many cases returning to a pristine original surface is not possible. (One thought: it might be possible to recreate a deteriorated desert patina by re-subjecting the stone to a relatively brief exposure to original desert conditions. Cliff Johnson once found a stone that was rough on one side when he first found it so he left it on an exposed ridge and upon returning in a couple of years found it to be evenly sandblasted.) The question about watering stones provides a jumping off point to deal with myriad issues related to the preparation and possibilities for enhancing the surfaces of viewing stones. We are planning to do just that with a reprinting of an annotated, expanded version of Revealing the Beauty Within, an article published in Waiting to Be Discovered in 1998. Before abandoning the desert stone question, let me end with a simple way to significantly enhance certain desert stones. Although I have cautioned about the potential for simple handling of some surfaces to cause unwanted staining; the same phenomenon may be employed to advantage. Some desert stones, especially smaller stones, such as found at Lake Hill or the flats of the Panamint Valley may have minimal form, but also subtle textures that may be truly awesome when observed in a raking (tangential-light, but that largely disappear when observed with uniform, frontal light. This holds true whether the stone is left dry or sprayed wet, for in both cases the surface is seen to be uniform and the variations we perceived with raking light disappear. The act of simply handling these stones will impart finger oils sufficient to ‘wet’ (darken) the minute ridges, leaving the valleys dry, separating the hills and arroyos (see wet/dry detail of Lake Hill stone, page 7).

Bob Watson, Cascade range, British Columbia. Coating has been removed.

Bob Watson, Cascade range, British Columbia. Coating has been removed.

VOLUME 33, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI

PAGE 7

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 jimreaves@roadrunner.com or 1018 Pacific Street, Unit D, Santa Monica, CA 90405 or call (310) 452-3680

This mountain stone from Lake Hill in Panamint Valley although not spectacular, illustrates the possibility of light handling.

Dry

Wet

Light handling

Ralph Johnson Collection Revisited

Last August, Larry had an opportunity to photograph a few stones from Ralph Johnson’s desert collection. Because of Ralph’s extensive malachite collection, some people might not realize that he has been scouring the desert for years and has amassed an extraordinary number of fine viewing stones. He often went into the desert alone, or almost. Sometimes he was joined by his dog, Cannonball.

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There was a lively discussion with comments from members far and wide. Most of the comments favored the top photo (with the 'cliff side' closer to the left side and the slope to the right with the larger space). They felt that the stone 'flowed' to the right. Left side (bottom photo) - closer to the right - was favored by those who saw the more vertical side of the stone as a cliff. This view could be reinforced by adding a tenkei of a boat below the cliff or a light house on the cliff. Don Kruger and several others thought the 'cliff" attracted the eye and thus was the stronger side. A few folks thought that the position of the stone could be rotated; showing two sides toward the viewer, and that would affect the placement of the stone. Tipping the stone to embrace you could also affect the placement. In the end, personal preference should be your guideline. As Richard Ota once said, "What you see is not what I see."

In the May Newsletter, page 1, Larry asked our readers to let him know their preference. What follows are the comments that were emailed to him.

Robert Ragle (from San Jose): Position in the top image for the 1/3-2/3 feel...curious if anyone likes the bottom image position...please check in with Fibonacci … (the mathematician). Ray Yeager (from Yucca Valley): Top one. Linda Gill: I prefer the top placement because the stone flows to the right into the empty space of the suiban. The bottom pic disturbs me, I think, because of the right angle of the stone & sand. That space does not represent a cliff to me so it doesn't look natural. Elsie Andrade (from AZ): I think they are both turned too much to the right, the stone should embrace you. Paul Bondhus (from Minnesota): My preference for stone placement in the suiban is on the left. (top one)

Stone Placement Discussion by Linda Gill

Jim Greaves shares his point of view.

Ann Horton shares hers

Stone of the Month continued from page 2

Jim Greaves assists BJ Ledyard in placing her boat stone. It appears to be ready to set sail to sea.

Don Kruger listened and then presented his point of view.

VOLUME 33, ISSUE 6 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI PAGE 9

Jack Levy: As a beginner, I am a bit reluctant to comment about the "placement of stone" question posed in the May newsletter. However, to my eye the movement of the stone you show is right to left. It almost looks (to me) like an elephant seal facing toward the left. So, I prefer the placement in the lower image (stone toward the right of the suiban). But, I will be hoping to learn something about the matter of stone placement at the meeting. Hanne Povlsen: Neither one. I like it on the bottom picture, but feel it should be moved forward a bit. Kit Blaemire: I like the top, with the stone on the left in the suiban - because the placement of the stone (island) has a “welcoming” look. Jesus Quintas (from Spain): Regarding your question, let me express my personal comments. 1.) Broadly speaking and according to Japanese guidelines, the empty space should be to the right of the stone. I should suggest moving the stone slightly towards the right and front. 2.) A Chinese approach, using a longer rectangular pale suiban, could justify placing a sailing boat in the left and the stone, suggesting a cliff, in the right. 3.) In both cases, the stone should be buried a bit deeper into the sand. Cathy Ragle (from San Jose): I liked the 1st (top) one. It seemed to show off the stone the best. The opening of the stone (almost like a bay) opened up to the larger area of sand where the other image had the larger part of the sand behind the stone (bay opened up to the smallest area of sand). I liked this question showing two different placements of the stone! Amazing the difference. It also had me look at the placements of the other stones in the newsletter. Kyra Haussler: Since this is a landscape stone, both Warren and I prefer the placement in the top photo, as your eye follows the slope of the stone into the center of the suiban. The slope is the "movement" of the stone, whereas the vertical side on the left seems to stop visual action and acts as a barrier, or outside frame of the image. However, I see a second image in this stone, and it is not a landscape. I see an object (a sea lion), and IF it were allowed in a suiban, with water to replicate a shore scene, I like the placement in the bottom photo. As in photography, you want the animal, or person, to face inward to the space, so the "head" of the stone on the left has more room to its left. It is not facing, or moving, out of the picture, as it would be in the upper photo. Bill and Lois Hutchinson: Both Lois and I vote for the top photo.

Tom Stokes (from Eureka): I prefer the setting with the stone to the left of the suiban (top photo). I feel the "western" eye is trained (from our writing and reading) to flow left to right. With this stone, the flow is down to mountain to a sea or plane. If the setting is to the right of the suiban, there is no flow. If the stone was reversed, I think a setting to the right would be more pleasing to my eye. (Tom is referring to another stone that slopes in the opposite direction) Buzz Barry: I definitely prefer the top placement, and would like to play around with that somewhat perhaps by moving the stone a little to the right (but not much) and rotating the stone clockwise a little, reserving the option to rotate it back if I didn't like the change. The bottom placement is, in my opinion, an out-of-balance disaster. Sharon Somerfeld: 2nd (bottom) photo for sure! Kristin Zethren: My experts (Nina, Larry, Jim and Gudrun) suggest that the stone should be placed slightly off-center, often favoring the right side. Jack Dennis: At first glance we chose choice A (top photo) because the pointing angle/direction of motion of the stone is from the left to the right towards the greatest empty space (sand) as viewed from the visual center of the stone. The stone is optically set perfectly with the exception that it does not seem to have the Naka twist to it. Meaning the point of the triangle (pointing angle) is not slightly bent towards the viewing front and the apex tilted slightly towards the viewer (Maybe this is okay but not apparent from the one dimension photo). Naka said the very last thing you do is touch the stone ever so slightly and grunt satisfaction as you make that final adjustment and then 'hands up with a smile on your face.' He had the same philosophy for bonsai: 'After you have completely cleaned and made your final adjustment to your tree and it is ready for show - let one leaf fall to the surface of the moss and then hands up it is ready to show.’ HOWEVER: At second glance we might choose choice B if the exhibitor sees a body of land jutting out into the sea lane from a larger body of land or sea shore such as Point Loma (San Diego) or the rock of Gibraltar (Great Briton-Spain). We have several stones in our collection that we have described as a misaki-ishi: Cape/Promontory/Headland stone as our stone is the same or different regarding how each is defined. Also a cliff shaped stone may have its face forward but I certainly do not see a misaki-ishi in this stone or a zeppeki-ishi (cliff shaped stone) either. THEREFORE: Since we are restricted by not knowing what the exhibitor sees in the stone and in view of the fact that the stone does look to us as if it were being shown as a misaki-ishi or a zeppeki-ishi then choice A

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maneuvering. He had 30 boats with armored spikes and dragon's heads that spat burning oil. Again he was victorious. He was also the first person to communicate at sea with signal banners. Jim showed figure stones from an area in Korea near the Han River. Another 2 stones were a pair

of schooners. They were volcanic rocks from the top of Mt. Chiri-san and were formed by ice. Jim displayed

3 different styles of flower stone from Korea.

Chung showed a King's River stone. She used a fabulous eccentrically-shaped doban that was cast with sea shells and other marine figures on the sides and on the bottom.

Eden Chung showed a waterfall stone that had the daiza and table as one. The daiza was three rings carved in step style with the smallest directly under the stone directly attached to the table.

Several animal stones were exhibited with the daiza adding 'limbs' to complete the image. This is popular in Korea.

Korean soosuk expert Mr. Mun showed a collection of stones with holes that resembled faces. Lastly, there was a display of Korean club founder Sam Suk's stones in memory of his many years of collecting both soosuk and suiseki (see Aiseki Kai catalog, pages 12-13).

Program Notes continued from page 3

would be the most correct in its presentation. But on-the-other-hand if an accessory in the shape of a lighthouse could be positioned at the apex of the stone it could therefore change the way it is viewed and then either A or B could be correct. (The first 10 people (members or not) who contact Nina either by email or phone before June 18 will get a free Aiseki Kai membership in 2016.)

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@roadrunner.com Exhibit Set Up: Marge Blasingame 626.579.0420 margeblasingame@att.net Refreshments: Janet Shimizu 310-645-7208 janet.shimizu46@gmail.com Historian: Ray Yeager 760.365.7897 ryeager890@aol.com Webmail: Bill Hutchinson 714.964.6973 hutch@aisekikai.com Newsletter: Larry and Nina Ragle 949.497.5626 ragle@cox.net

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

Contact People

PAGE 11 CALIFORNIA AISEKI KAI VOLUME 33, 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!

As the name implies, Golden State Bonsai Federation has a focus on little trees. Our upcoming convention this October in Riverside – Bonsai Fusion, “Where Tradition Meets Innovation” – will feature six demonstrations on five trees by four artists, bonsai exhibits, a huge selection of fabulous vendors, and many workshops and seminars.

But there is much more to our convention than just bonsai. For stone aficionados, we will offer a suiseki collecting trip to the Yuha desert. Larry and Nina Ragle will conduct an enlightening Round Table Talk on how to best display the suiseki collected at the Yuha.

Jim Greaves will assemble a unique and stunningly gorgeous new way to exhibit stones and conduct four tours giving insight to the themes of each display. Sean Smith will conduct a seminar on Japanese suiseki exhibits – from set up to take down and everything in between. Jonathan Maples, a scroll and tokonoma expert from Utah, will lead a seminar on the meaning and use of scrolls in display. Participants will be encouraged to bring their favorite items for display – scroll, tree, suiseki, bronze, etc. – and engage in an interactive session of creating different styles of display

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.

under the guidance of Jonathan. If you don't own stunning companion plants, be sure to sign up for a kusamono workshop with Pauline Muth. She will help participants create three beautiful pieces planted in handcrafted (by Pauline) ceramic containers to compliment suiseki.

And on the Monday following the convention, your registration badge will be good for complimentary admission to the Huntington Library & Botanical

Gardens, where Harry Hirao's river stones grace the bonsai collections. Other non-bonsai work-shops include Cary Valentine's washi bako (paper boxes). Origami are taken to artistic heights with participants folding three different boxes from hand-made paper. Frank Mihalek is a jewelry artist who brings his lost wax techniques to his workshop where participants will create a bronze bonsai sculpture. There's something for everybody in Riverside during the GSBF Convention. Join us

from October 29 – November 1, 2015. Stay in the historic Mission Inn & Spa or the ultramodern Hyatt Place Riverside for $99 per day – then immerse yourself in the art of suiseki.

Check out the convention website www.gsbf2015.com.

GSBF CONVENTION 38 – Stone Sense Cheryl Manning

Ragle P.O. Box 4975 Laguna Beach CA 92652

Coming Events

Leaves no stone unturned

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

aisekikai.com

Thank you Emma Janza, Maria Atkison, Phat & Lisa Vo, Mark Levinstein & CJ Harmatz and the Ragle’s for the May munchies! You fed the masses! June’s jubilation will be provided by Buzz Barry, Kit Blaemire, BJ Ledyard and Janet Shimizu.

CALIFORNIA SUISEKI SOCIETY 20th Annual Exhibit, June 13-14, Lakeside Garden Center on Lake Merritt, 666 Belleview Avenue, Oakland. 10-4 each day. Sales. For more information contact: email Henry van der Voort, III at oldboar3@gmail.com

Refreshments

DESCANSO BONSAI SOCIETY 46th Annual Show, June 13-14, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada/ Flintridge. Sales. Admission to the exhibition is free with admission to Descanso Gardens.

NANPU KAI Annual Nisei Week Bonsai Exhibit, Aug 15-16 JACCC, 244 South San Pedro St., LA. 10-5.

GSBF CONVENTION 38 “Bonsai Fusion” October 29 – November 1, Riverside Convention Center, 3637 Fifth St. Riverside. Viewing stone exhibit, hunt and critique. Bonsai demos and workshops. Seminars and raffles and vendors galore! gsbfconvention.org for more information. See page 11.

KOFU BONSAI KAI Bonsai exhibit at the Bowers Museum, Sept 23-27, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana.

SAN FRANCISCO SUISEKI KAI 34th Annual Suiseki Exhibit, August 1-2, Union Bank Community Room, Japan Center, 1675 Post Street, SF. 10-5 both days. Sales. For more information email sfsuisekikai@gmail.com

REDWOOD EMPIRE BONSAI SOCIETY 32nd Annual show, August 22-23, Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Bldg, 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa. Demos both days at 1:00 by Kathy Shaner. Sat 10-5, Sun 10-4. Sales, raffle, silent auction. More info: Bob Shimon at 707.884.4126 or shimon@mcn.org