A Possible Suiseki..?

Hi all,

I was hoping to get your opinions. This is a subjective art to some degree, but I was hoping you could give me your two cents on whether this is suitable as a suiseki (this would be my first attempt).

The front:



The top:



The back:



I am curious what type of rock it is as well. It's very light, so I'm assuming it may be volcanic. I have not cleaned or treated it in any way and I don't believe this is coal; the sheen was there when I found it along the shore. I liked how it looked and it seemed a lot like a simple mountain. I do have some spare hardwood that I could carve into a daiza (I have finish carpentry experience, so that should help a little).

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!!

Hi Zach...  Thanks for your interest in viewing stones/suiseki.  

While viewing stone enthusiasts are less likely than rock hounds to be seasoned geologists, it is good to have a feel for stone material.  I appreciate your considering coal because of the object's light weight.  I might also consider obsidian, which is more a natural glass than a mineral, I think.  Coal would react to a flame (melting?) whereas obsidian or a mineral would not.

Asking if this would make a suitable suiseki draws me to ask what you see in the object that relates to a scene in nature or to an object closely related to nature?   Think of it when mounted (in daiza or suiban) drawing your imagination.

Good hunting in your suiseki quests... :-)

Thanks for the response Chris!

I think I'll have to guess that it is, in fact, obsidian (a flame didn't seem to affect it).

As far as your question, what I see is the silhouette of a battered mountain with a major landslide in the past (and I'm actually beginning to prefer the back as the front for some reason). Maybe once I've carved a daiza, I'll have a clearer opinion.

I do think that a daiza would be more fitting than a suiban. But time will tell