What Sand For Display Of Suiseki In A Suiban ??

25-Jul-2004	#21
dbz12fan Charles Bevan Join Date: Apr-2003 Location: Florida Country: United States USDA Zone: 9B AHS Heat Zone: 9 Posts: 2,250	This has been one of the most interesting arguments on suiseki that I have seen in a long while. I believe that there are too few suiseki enthusiasts who talk on the internet to start an good discussion. Where has Mr. Cowing been hiding? __________________ "Success demands understanding"-Andy Rutledge Charles Bevan Vero Beach, Fl Last edited by dbz12fan : 25-Jul-2004 at 04:58 PM.

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25-Jul-2004

#22

Attila

Attila Soos

Join Date: Jan-2002

Location: Los Angeles, California

Country: USA

Posts: 1,946

Quote:

Originally posted by dbz12fan
What I am saying is that if you find one stone uncut and you find another stone that looks exactly like the other one after cutting, the uncut one would be more valuable

A few years ago I was attending a John Naka critique. He pulled out of his pocket a little stone with a tiny daiza. It was his smallest suiseki and he got it from Germany, if I remember right.

He talked about it and then he gave it to us to pass it around. The stone had that patina acquired from many people's hand touching and feeling it. It felt good to hold it and feel the cold, weathered edges in your palm.

I asked him how would he feel about this stone having a flat cut bottom. His answer was that in that case he would have probably lost it long time ago.

I think that tells us the way he though about cut stones.

In my case, all being equal , I would probably pay half as much for a cut stone than for an uncut one.

Just personal preference
Attila

29-Jul-2004	#23
Dale Cochoy Old Bonsaiman-new pots Join Date: Dec-2002 Location: Hartville, Ohio Country: USA USDA Zone: 5 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 2,610	Bart asked: "What are the recommended types of sand used for displaying suiseki in a suiban?" answer, Bart, the $50 per pound sand imported from Japan that has all un-uniform grains hand picked out! Of course! He he! Al asked: "Just what exactly constitutes high quality in a stone." Answer: Some Japanese guy saying it is! ( But, it would be HIS stone, not yours!) :>) Al, that's a nice stone and your daiza is very professionaly done. looks good! For some reason I seem to keep collecting stones although I certainly can't get wrapped in the hype over good or bad, but I can say that at kokufu-ten a couple years ago I saw oodles of cut and big $ stones. I brought home a couple uncut ones from Japan and some chinese stones sold there also. I had a friend make great daiza for the uncut ones and re-finished the crappy daiza on the chinese ones. One of the oldest stones in my collection was given to me by my teacher back in 1986 (I think) when he brought some back from Japan. It's a beautiful mountain stone, black and cut! I Think it was about $90 in Japan vendor area back then. I sat it in a suiban with sand for years until Sean Smith made a daiza for it a few years ago. I can't see all the stone in the pre-cut taped picture but I'd certainly say it looks more attractive now. and, if you'd NOT cut it and made a daiza to fit the larger "unflat" bottom you'd be getting a bunch of complaints that it didn't fit the daiza or the daiza was too bulky and deep to look good and there would be undercuts on the stone, etc, etc! I'd bet money on that! You made a good choice. Btw, when are you going to start making those nice storage boxes for them?? Dale __________________ ________________________________ If you want to be Different.... You have to DO something Different! __________________________________________ Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time.... but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again... ____________________________________________ Dale Cochoy Wild Things Bonsai Studio Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery Hartville, Ohio

29-Jul-2004	#24
Dale Cochoy Old Bonsaiman-new pots Join Date: Dec-2002 Location: Hartville, Ohio Country: USA USDA Zone: 5 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 2,610	[QUOTE]Originally posted by bonsaial1 [B]I make bonsai tables. I make lots of bonsai tables. I have given some away and I have sold some. In almost every case, except the ones that were given away on bonsaiTALK or sold over the internet, the person recieving the stand will invarably turn it over and inspect the bottom. I have no idea why. When someone turns over a stand , are they expecting to find it unfinished or unsanded there? A bonsai is designed to be seen from one angle and one angle only. A bonsai stand is to be exhibited always standing on its legs, not displayed with its undersides all exposed for the world to see. Al, This is an interesting observation. I watch people ( including me) do this with hand-made bonsai pots a lot. Why do I do it? As an artist I do it to see how nicely the bottom is finished/trimmed , how nice feet are cut, etc. Basically, did the artist spend as much time finishing his work on the bottom as on top. ( BTW, my pot bottoms are real nice! :>) But, many people do it to see who signed it, ( or if it has a kanji stamp even though they have no idea what it says!) not how well it's made. I guess I'd have to consider that "name dropping" in a fashion, they don't really care about the finished product...just WHO made it! As a potter, I fight this all the time and have in a few instances given people pots off my shelves to carry around and compare things I point out for them to observe. What does this all mean?? I dunno? :>) as a side anecdote: in 1997 I vended carving tools at the 3rd World Bonsai convention in Seoul, Korea ( The only non-korean I'll ad) . After the convention I walked lots around Seoul, and in a jewelry store, on the floor under a shelf, I saw a great "cut" mountain stone collecting dust bunnies. I asked the guy how much? He said $35 and the next sound heard was my wallet "whishing" out of my pocket. 35 pounds !!!!....hand carried through customes/transfers on way home. I gave it to Art Skolnik to carve me a daiza. He had it FOR A YEAR! I bugged him about it every time I saw him. When I finally got it back, the bottom of the daiza had " B.L.T.N." carved in the bottom... I asked what the hell was that!!?? . . . . "Better Late Than Never"!!! Now, NO ONE would appreciate that bottom like I do! Dale __________________ ________________________________ If you want to be Different.... You have to DO something Different! __________________________________________ Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time.... but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again... ____________________________________________ Dale Cochoy Wild Things Bonsai Studio Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery Hartville, Ohio

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