By Richard Turner

Viewing stones in Japan were traditionally displayed in an alcove called a tokonoma, often accompanied by bonsai, a scroll, a plant or other objects. Few of us have a tokonoma in our homes but we still want to display our stones for our own daily pleasure and for our guests to enjoy. A display like this one, which is inspired by Japanese flower arranging (ikebana), could easily be done on a shelf, mantlepiece or tabletop. The stone is a California desert stone from the collection of Ralph Johnson. The flowers are a member of the umbel or carrot family of plants from a neighbor’s garden. The “vase”, which is made from a scrap of corrugated fiberglass, and the bent cardboard strips are props improvised for this display. Flowers purchased at the grocery store and a vase from your kitchen cupboard would work just as well, or better.