INSPIRED BY NATURE
Viewing stone appreciation is inspired by natural geological features, biological entities—people, animals, plants—and less so by artifacts—boats, huts, bridges. In this new section, we will be featuring unusual geological and biological elements that can or have influenced the collection of an unusual rock to view for its aesthetic qualities. We want you to look to nature for guidance to the types of rocks to add to your collection.
Inspiration for interpreting viewing stones can come from temporary weather events as well as from long-lasting physical elements such as mountains, plateaus, animals, and other objects, real or imaginary. Tornadoes, most common in the midwestern U.S., are violent, noisy weather phenomena when a rapidly spinning funnel-shaped column of air touches the ground and moves slowly, destroying everything in its path. Typically associated with thunderstorms, tornadoes are short-lived, lasting only a few minutes, rarely longer.
Ying Stone, Guangdong Province, southeastern China
About twenty years ago, I found this Ying stone when browsing in a stone shop in Guangdong Province in southeastern China. Its form immediately reminded me of my childhood days growing up in an area known as “tornado alley” due to the frequency of these weather events every Spring. The ridges and furrows along the stone’s shaft appear to be twisting in agony. This piece of weathered limestone is 35 cm high, including the base.
