New to stones

Hello, everyone. I'm new to this forum and am posting here as this is one of the few suiseki forums i've found.

In my local bonsai club a fair number of the members are collecting stones and it's gotten me kind of interested. I found this stone over Thanksgiving break and would like some advice on if this is a good stone. I'm pretty sure its granite as that seems to be the most common type of rocks that are found in northwest Iowa fields. This probably fractured off of a larger rock after getting hit by a piece of field equipment.

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There are some other views here in my photo bucket account as well as some pictures of my trees Album here.

Does anyone have any opinions?

Hi Neighbor,

Our Minnesota bonsai club has many members who collect stones. Our state is rich in areas for "rock hounds"... especially the Lake Superior area. I've been collecting for many years and have picked up a few stones that resemble your mountain stone. I really love the colors and patina.

As to what kind of stone this is .... I can only speculate...? What first came to mind was whether you were near the Pipestone, MN area near the Iowa border. Quartzite called pipestone was mined by the Sioux Indians. Another thought is the stone could be iron rich jasper/ chert but I couldn't see any distinctive chips. There is a stone we see on the north shore of Lake Superior which is a basalt flow which is a similar red. These basalt stones make excellent suiseki because many are naturally polished by water and wind.

How do you plan to display your stone? Daiza or suiban? You're fortunate that it seems to have a flat bottom so fitting a daiza would not be too difficult and I believe instructions for carving a daiza has been recently shown on this forum.

Great find, Jon !

Norma

Thanks,

I found this on my dads farm which is in the northwest corner of Iowa and by looking at a map it is certainly possible that this could have originally come from that area and sent down my way by a glacier or two, though the same could be said of the basalt in your area. I might try getting in touch with the geology club on campus here and see if they can determine the type of stone.

Looking at the bottom of the stone, which is pretty fresh break, I can see some quartz flakes.

As for display I am not entirely sure. I've looked at the tutorial for making a daiza and I will have some free time over break, so if my dad's shop has the tools I need I might try making daiza, or there is also an excellent wood worker in the Iowa bonsai club who I can probably work with to make one.

Also I am still pretty new to this suiseki thing so if you know of any good reference material that would be much appreciated.

Hi Jon,

It is great to see youngsters picking up on the idea of viewing stones/suiseki. I wish I'd had the interest while I was actively mountaineering regularly. Your stone is a good start but eventually you may want to avoid anything that has obviously fresh breaks.

Many bonsai books have short sections on suiseki but these are usually frustrating in their lack of detail. Fortunately there are now quite a few good specialised books that you can refer to. Top of my list is Felix Rivera's Suiseki - The Japanese Art Of Miniature Landscape Stones. Unfortunately it is out of print and rather expensive on Amazon. See if a library can get it for you.

I also like Kemin Hu's Modern Chinese Scholars' Rocks and Willi Benz's Bonsai Kusamono Suiseki, though apparently this one has some inaccuracies. There are more but these form a good starting point.

I think my bonsai club has a book or two on the subject in our library or maybe one of the other members has one i could borrow, but if i can I'll see if I can get ahold of those books you listed Kev.

I think I understand your point about the breaks but just let me make sure. I'm assuming the visual and textural contrast between the new and old stone will detract from the main aesthetic of the stone? Is this correct? Maybe you could elaborate a little more.

Yes you are pretty much spot on. Evidence of recent breaks equates to damage and that detracts from the beauty of the stone, especially if it can be seen. Even if it can't, I suppose it is less of a "fault" than a stone being cut on the bottom, which some purists are very anti.

Similarly you should always try to avoid stones being knocked, as, apart from breakages, some can "bruise" easily and the resultant scar would take centuries of weathering to remove.

I'm back home at my folk's place and after digging though the rock pile I may have found some more stones. I don't have a camera with me but once I get back to my apartment I'll get some pictures up so you guys can help me figure out if they are any good.

A note here: Most successful viewing stones seem to have been shaped and polished by water (occasionally in the case of desert stones, wind and sand). Stone you plow out of a field will seldom qualify (the lack the weathering patina) unless your field was once the bed of a river or on a wave-tossed coastline.

Another note: That's just about all I know about viewing stones.

I realize that jim its just that in Iowa there wouldn't be very many places that would fit that criteria.

I updated my photobucket album with some of the new stones I found that I though might have some potential.

Heres the Link: Album

If anyone thinks any of those are good Please let me know.

A nice distant mountain view stone there, carve a wooden base for it and pick it up regularly and rub with
Your hands it will then gradually develop a patina over the years. I like it!

On a side note…….Does the stone allow your mind to drift and perceive a greater view? If so that’s all you need to know, Enjoy!