Another form of woodcarving - daiza for suiseki

[pallin]

I recently became aware of a form of woodcarving perhaps unknown to many of you. It is called suiseki and probably originated as a Japanese artform. They are "viewing stones" often mounted on a carved wooden base called a daiza. The base is designed to complement the stone and is shaped to fit the bottom of the stone. The daiza often have "feet" corresponding to the visual "weight" of the stonen. For examples, check out this site:
Stones For Sale - Jade, Suiseki, Bonsai, lapidary jade rough stones, warm stone massage, medicine wheel stones, cabachons, nephrite, The Art of Stone Appreciation, Stones Shaped by Nature

[Sharon of the Dell]

Pretty cool Phil! I like those. I collect rocks from all over. I could see some thing like that in my yard only larger. Thanks!

[Claude]

It would take pretty good eye, and a fantastic memory to see those mountains, shapes, valleys, etc. in rocks laying on the edge of a river. Thanks for posting Phil!

Claude

[Inadv]

Phil,

As an avid bonsai enthusiast I have seen this art for on other websites. There are some that are absolutely stunning, and I'd like to do a few of them at some point to sit with my trees on the shelves I made for them. I already have a few "rock-scapes" there to add some aesthetic, but a few of these would be nice as well. Here in the Blue Ridge Mountains rocks are very abundant, and my wife and I enjoy walking the river banks looking for both them and driftwood.

Thanks for posting this!!!

L.P.

[Robson Valley]

Come up to my place. As in the heart of the west face of the Rocky Mountains.
The jade boulders are free for the taking. I don't plan to bust a gut doing it.
We can get quartz with a 6lb post maul, right out of the mountainside. I'll even supply the raincoat and hip waders for you to stand in the waterfall and do it, just a little bit chilly. Mind you, it glitters, I don't know if it's pyrite or gold. For some reason, don't care.
So far, I haven't found a pyrite crystal more than 1"/side but I keep busting rocks.
You want slate? How big? I found a lovely piece, the size of a grand piano. . . .maybe 5-6 slabs?

[pallin]

Suiseki seems to be based on appreciation for interesting rocks. When I saw some examples I immediately thought of several I had picked up on kayak trips. Now I'm inspired to carve some daiza (bases) to properly display them.
The large curved stone is my "rainbow rock," the dark brown one is "mahogany rock," the one with two holes is a "ghost rock," and the small gray on is allegedly a dinasaur gizzard stone.

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