Stone Appreciation for Your Comments

Hello Ogie,
I will be very happy if you go back Vietnam and drop by see me. I live in Quang NAm province where there are two world heritages : Hoi An ancient town and My Son towers. When you plan to go back Vietnam,you can contact me at 01685379606.
Your friend
Thientrakieu.[/quote].

Thank you Thientrakieu,looking foward to Vietnam again
Your friend,
Alex/Ogie

Hello Yvonne,
Me too or maybe Old Bird Vulture and Pre-historic elephant like those at ICE AGE
Thank you my Friend,
Alex/Ogie

Hi Ogie... In your composition of three stones, I imagined three human figures. Two human figures express humility through bowing; the third human figure is both upright and bit comical with his exaggerated head & features.

My first thought was "the Vinegar Tasters (a.k.a., 'the Three Sours')" Buddha & Confucius are humbled in considering the worldliness of man who needs to control his nature-- life bears the sharp taste of vinegar. Laozi is unfazed by the sharp taste-- embracing nature is not to judge it.

I also thought of a scroll used in National Bonsai & Penjing Museum stone exhibitions which suggest a threshold between sitting stones and sitting men...(photo courtesy of the National Bonsai Foundation website, the scroll from my collection):


When imagining images in groups, it is wise to consider displaying a full set... with caveats. A painting or screen might show two objects from a set of three, and an object on the display floor can complete the set.

In a famous set of screens by Maruyama Okyo depicting numerous 'dancing' (standing position) cranes, their bodies are so overlapped that they cannot be reliably counted. When this screen was displayed at the National Museum in Tokyo, you could count the legs under the cranes, and it appeared that there were seventeen, including some cranes standing on one leg. A very well-known guqin (musical) piece is entitled "Eighteen Scholars Ascend Yingzhou." Eighteen cranes ascending the cliffs of this mountain are seen in art which associates cranes with passing examinations. The flying cranes represent the first class of 18 scholars to pass the exam of highest scholarship at the Chinese Hanlin Academy. I thought to myself, the screen is really a disappointment to only show 17 cranes... :-(

Later, I thought of a host sharing the screen with his honored guest. A cultivated guest would note 17 cranes and, perhaps, imagine what it would be like to be the 18th crane. In alcove (intimate viewing) display appreciation, it is often the least obvious element which has the greatest resonance. Expect something barely noticeable & determine if it is resounding for you.

A weak image that resonates strongly is the most deeply felt. This is true for appreciation of less-than-fully representational suiseki, natural root sculpture & scholar's rocks, as well. Meaning & emotion are often veiled through metaphor using less-veiled metaphor for more public audiences.

If you have a bearded friend (or a friend on 'entry to' or 'retirement from' public service), you could display the three stones to him as "the Four Graybeards of Mt. Shang"...

From a summary of Kendall Brown's Politics of Reclusion:

The Four Graybeards are scholar-officials of the third-century BCE: Dongyuangong, Qili Ji, Jiaoli xiansheng, and Xia Huanggong. They reflect the Confucian ideal of reclusion in the mountains during an era of despotism, accordingly depicted by Japanese painters in pursuit of aesthetic pleasures. Such paintings were sold to officials leaving or retiring from public service. But the Four Graybeards returned to service in better times, and artists' depictions of their return are highlighted in gold and marketed to younger men entering service without a touch of idealism. The place of the Four Graybeards in Japanese painting seems straight-forward. (source: http://www.hermitary.com/bookreviews/brown.html)

Hey Alex,
Were I live there is a giant Eucalyptus tree were these large six foot wing span birds roost.
About 27 last count, they watch busy road for animals killed by drivers.
Always looking down, ready to devour anything possible. Your stone bring to mind hungry birds.
Yvonne use a small natural branch for her bird stone once, then even better one second time!
I can only imagine what your three birds would look like if carved into a tree branch as daiza?
After a storm, at the beach many limbs can be found for this...

Hi Chris...Once again thank you for the expounded interpretation,much appreciated and i will try to make proper presentation in the near future,i like what you have just said specially with the 17Crane...
So much to learn while in search for more lovely stones
Regards,
Alex/Ogie

Hello Stonener,
I hope i won't be at the end of those bird's meal :shock:Thanks for the insight
Your Friend,
Alex

P.S.
I will try to make a tree dai for the three to hang and see what happens...Soon to come, Thanks!

No My Friend Alex!
Not hang, not tree, just sit on top of branch, as if looking down,
carve only small area so stones fit in branch, as if in daiza,
but only branch can be seen from side view, Nature look.
The placement you now have is perfect order,
just bottom of stones not seen, good luck! I know not easy...

stonener wrote:No My Friend Alex!
Not hang, not tree, just sit on top of branch, as if looking down,
carve only small area so stones fit in branch, as if in daiza,
but only branch can be seen from side view, Nature look.
The placement you now have is perfect order,
just bottom of stones not seen, good luck! I know not easy...

Will do my best there my friend,thanks!

Alex

Hi....
Here is one of my picture stone,Do you see a Dragon or a Horse?How do you qualify it on what category.Thanks in advance for your comment
Regards,
Alex
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Hi Ogie

I may be wrong..but your pretty cool stone, looks like it is marble, shaped by machine, it looks like a stone you can find i a mineralshop.
The daiza is very nice, and not like a daiza you find together with a stone I just mentioned...this is why, I may be wrong.
Please give more information if you have.

Kind regards Yvonne

Hi Yvonne,
No this is not a marble,the stone i found it on riverbank here,when wet you can see exactly what you see now,the stone is polish to take away its rough outer soft skin so that the true pictures comes out. thanks for your inquiry

Regards,
Alex/Ogie

Hi Ogie

This is a very lucky find.....sometimes stones looks to good to be true.
A polished stone is called a biseki.
How big is the stone?

Kind regards Yvonne

Hey Alex!
If body and tail curve up around to the right side and over,
then a angry dragon can be seen coming out of a stormy,
cloudy sky, mean eyes and sharp teeth can be seen,
and spraying steam from nostrils, at top of head,
over right eye, curved end of horn can be seen,
figure has a slight yellow or pale red glow,
that adds caricature and symbolism ...

Yvonne Graubaek wrote:Hi Ogie

This is a very lucky find.....sometimes stones looks to good to be true.
A polished stone is called a biseki.
How big is the stone?

Kind regards Yvonne

Hi Yvonne...
Yes it's Biseki,the size of the Stone = 18cm in Diamter,so much to share with my new find
Thanks for the reply

Regards,
Alex/Ogie

Hello Stonener,
Exactly what i see too,Thanks for the appreciation

Alex

Hi Ogie

How about a eagels head?



kind regards Yvonne

Hello,
I was thinking of a eagles head to
but also of a giant dim creature of the other world.
Sunip

Hi Yvonne..Sunip
Thanks i was so addicted to Dragon but nice observation on both of you.
Regards,
Alex/Ogie

Hi Alex.

After I observation I see Eagle face on top of the Mongolia Man face..thank you so much, See the attach with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxzClfYV6WY&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1
So powerful Stone Alex !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5n_duH-e6E&feature=related&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1



Best Regards

Young

Hi Young,

Thanks for the added video clip,nice one there.
Best Regards,
Alex