Customer Showcase: Paul Gilbert USA on YokoDana Kimono
Note about this page:
We like to post on our web site when people have creatively used our vintage Japanese kimono fabrics in their work. One of our customers, Paul Gilbert (USA), is a collector of Japanese Suiseki (water-stones). Recently he shared with us pictures of some stones of his collection, and also asked us to custom-make special bags using select vintage and antique kimono fabrics of ours. We asked Paul to tell us about Suiseki, so are happy to share Paul's story, along with his pictures below:
Suiseki (lit. ‘water-stone’) and Vintage Japanese Kimono Fabrics
Paul Gilbert, Buffalo, Wyoming USA:
Suiseki is a traditional Japanese art form that involves the appreciation and display of naturally occurring stones. These stones are often collected from rivers and are selected for their aesthetic qualities, such as shape, color, patina, and overall appearance. A good Suiseki takes the viewer into a memory of nature, reminds one of an image or simply draws one into deep contemplation. These stones are not typically altered or carved; their beauty is found in their natural form. They are usually displayed and seated in a wooden base called a daiza.
My love for the Japanese art of Suiseki started through an involvement with bonsai trees. Often a viewing stone Suiseki is displayed with a bonsai tree to help convey context; for example, the stone might be shaped to convey a distant mountain. I have traveled to China and Japan and various other countries in search of stones that speak to my heart. I have been privileged to have shown a number of my stones in the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In Japan, many of the finer stones are passed from generation to generation and are kept in a kiribako (wooden box) and are wrapped in a cloth for safe keeping. I recently discovered the lovely older traditional Japanese textiles offered from Yokodana.com and have been making pouches and wrapping cloths for some of my finer stones. The combination of suiseki and vintage kimono fabric remnants go together beautifully. Pictures below are some of my collection of suiseki. Enjoy!
Paul Gilbert - Buffalo, Wyoming USA
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