From Marty Haber:

Lynn - it occurs to me that the esoteric split between tree and stone
appreciation exposes our ultimate chutzpah. The whole idea of planting
trees in pots is our way of saying: "Nature is a hit-and-miss
proposition.
We will take over and improve upon it. We will show Nature how it should
behave." In our Gallery, we're constantly seeing virtuals illustrating
members' improvements upon improvements.
I'm not intimating that we should quit what we are doing; only that we
ought
to add a heaping portion of humility to our work.
Marty.
---------------

Oh, Marty,
I am not at all sure I understand your viewpoint. I don't think of
the bonsai artist as "improving on nature" in the same way as you do, I
guess. Nature is our only source for art, for even the basic materials
like the blue made of lapis lazula grindings. We "play" with it for
expression, and, of course, can carry nature's form into our own dominion
- which is art. It cannot be our art unless it Is "changed" - then it
becomes a sign or symbol of our "play" - which is often a love of the form
in nature.

I think your reference to the virtuals in the gallery is pointed more to
the nature of those exchanges at times - perhaps you refer to so much
minor differences in "taste." We can love the same art, but have almost
violently different tastes - ). Why, that is even our nature to be that
way - isn't it?? ) But, I wish we could all be the gentle people you are
suggesting.

I was referencing a difference that could have involved the history of
the individual art - thinking that bonsai gradually came about through
potted plants, but stones seem to be in a different functioning
historically (to me) - that of having become symbols, and so
representative in an abstract way that as an art form they require some
very strong imagination at times. Suiseki is somewhat like looking at
clouds and seeing images. Also, we do not as a common practice change a
stone's natural appearance upon selecting it. Ah - there is a difference -
perhaps you were refering to that.

Lynn

Lynn Boyd,
Zone 7-8, Willamette Valley, Oregon

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