Page 60 - Demo

Figure 3; Tom Elias with veteran stone collector, Ken McLeod searching for stones in a California riverbed.
adaptation of Asian forms and display. North Ameri- can stones are not compromised exemplars of Asian stones. They are integral—having an élan and a form that reflects their origins. They have their own aesthet- ic. A perfect example is the striking piece of petrified wood from Tom’s own collection that is displayed on the book’s cover. He notes that all of the organic mate- rial in this specimen has been replaced with minerals. It evokes the American West and does so prepossess- ingly. The purpose of this wonderful book is to further the understanding of the beauty and spirit of North American stones. It is a warm and generous invitation to discover the indigenous stones of North America.
In this context, “discover” has two meanings and this double entendre is quite intentional. The first derives from the astonishing array of viewing stones presented in the book. They are beautiful, moving, and evocative, they do indeed awaken the soul. “Dis- cover” also reflects the fact that the stones depicted are, quite literally, underfoot—underfoot and waiting to be discovered. In this sense the book is an invita- tion to activity. Figure 3 shows Tom Elias with veteran stone collector, Ken McLeod searching for stones in a California riverbed.
How does Viewing Stones of North America ac- complish its objectives? I have already touched on the synergy shared by the author and the publisher. It seems that synergies are often at the heart of com- plex, successful undertakings. The book is divided into two parts. The first is a set of essays by several authors who are expert in different areas of stone appreciation. Tom Elias writes about stone appre- ciation in the East and West. In so doing he applies, adapts, and transforms criteria by which Asian stones were judged to North American stones. Paul Gilbert provides a fascinating historical piece on the role that stones and stone appreciation had for the native peoples of North America. Rick Stiles ex- amines the foundation of North American viewing stones in Asian cultures and proceeds to examine the transformation that inevitably occurs when a cultural tradition is first adopted and subsequently adapted. Richard Turner provides a fascinating piece titled “Viewing Stones and Contemporary Art.” The essays are lively, informative, and well-illustrated. They pair well with the second part of the book, which consists of 151 splendid color plates that il- lustrate the range and beauty of indigenous stones. When Tom Elias was preparing to write the book, he sent a letter asking noted stone collectors to con- sider contributing photographs of their stones. He expected that approximately twenty of the invitees would respond and that, at most, he would receive 175 photographs. In actuality, sixty-three collectors responded and submitted well over 300 photographs. These represent an astonishing variety of stones col- lected from very diverse environments. The breadth of participation allows for a visual course in stone appreciation that is exceptional. Synergies do indeed underlie excellence.
Figure 4; Sitting Bison
Eel River, Northern California Brent Wilson Collection
12 x 17 x 10 inches (30.5 x 43.2 x 25.4 cm)
The positions that Tom has held and currently holds have afforded contact with the most accomplished stone artists and authorities in the world. He also has contact with many stone collectors in North America who specialize in the collection and artistic display of indigenous material. He has witnessed a deepen- ing frustration that arises from futile attempts to force North American material into Asian forms. The geomorphology of North America is varied in the ex- treme. Consider the sand carved stones of the desert, the stones of the Canadian Shield, and mineral stones. They are very different from one another and very dif- ferent from most Asian stones. Cultures borrow from one another, but not in slavish imitation. For cultural sharing to be viable, both adoption and adaptation are necessary. Consider the stone depicted in Figure 2. It is a piece of copper ore from the Upper Penin- sula of Michigan. While it has a form similar to that seen in Chinese scholars’ stones the material and the display of cast bronze clearly constitutes a powerful
58 | BCI | October/November/December 2014