by Paul A. Harris

“Tidal Shelves” presents an outcrop of coastal rocks crusted with shells and hollowed by boring clams, where perching birds watch over nested eggs. In the middle foreground, a large flat stone with hollows evokes a painter’s palette; the seven basalt pebbles on it all feature a circular white quartz vein (termed ‘ensō stones’ in Suiseki). The rocks were collected on cobble beaches along the Palos Verdes Peninsula south of Los Angeles, a geologically active subduction zone where a variety of distinctive rocks cover wave-cut platforms. The installation recreates part of my rock garden, called “The Petriverse of Pierre Jardin,” in Long Beach, California.

This work is part of the art exhibition “Stone and Scene” at the Hilbert Museum of California Art, curated by Richard Turner, which pairs viewing stones with California Scene paintings from the museum’s collection. Richard invited me to create a rock composition in dialogue with three watercolors of sea rocks by Phil Dike, who worked at Disney Studios and taught painting in Southern California. The task proved to be very challenging! I realized that I had to arrange beach rocks into some sort of rockery that would resemble and resonate with the paintings. Making regular rocks look appropriate in a museum setting is hard, especially when they are surrounded by incredible viewing stones. The display needed to appear ‘natural’ (like a jumble of rocks) while also composing a cohesive whole. Finally, I wanted to use the pedestals to create a flow that moves from left upwards to the right, parallel to the way the three paintings are hung. This process took my practices of stone display in a very new direction and I hope that people who appreciate viewing stones will also see the beauty of ordinary rocks in a new way.

“Stone and Scene” is on view until November 1, 2026 at the Hilbert Museum in Orange, California.