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Dreamstones Contemplation

April 13, 2014

Tanzanite from Merelani Hills

Lelatema Mountains., Arusha Region, Tanzania

On a trip to Taiwan I saw a large dreamstone on display in an antique shop in Taichung, which apparently came from a region in the Yunnan mountains which is famous for them. It was around 3 feet in diameter and was mounted on a carved wooden frame. It had an ethereal like visage and seemed to have hidden depths to it. These dreamstones have been revered since the Tan Dynasty ( 618 – 907 AD ) for their unique appearance and were highly valued by ancient emperors, scholars, religious figures, and the aristocracy. Some Chinese scholars believed that dreamstones conveyed the essence of nature more powerfully then a painting. The Chinese word for marble is Dali, which is the name of the main region in Yunnan where the dreamstones were quarried. There are only a few established master revealers living today who have the ability to intuit where to find the marble stone and how to cut it to reveal the hidden art inside.

The shopkeeper suggested that dreamstones reflect the possibility of windows or portals into other realms of consciousness. They are a reminder of deeper mystical worlds that are there to explore and contemplate. Usually the dreamstones are characterized by an ethereal, abstract appearance and an alluring mystique that invites closer scrutiny. They are sometimes chosen if their appearance encapsulates nature forms like mountains, forests and clouds or if they display a fluid dimensionality and mystery. It is only recently that the ancient aesthetic of the dreamstone has been revived in China with the collecting of marble forms in the region of Dali in the Yunnan Province.

Just like the Eastern mandala is designed to invite prolonged concentration, leading to a meditative state, dreamstones have a similar absorbing appeal. Ceramic art and sculpture also capture this principal, when they have the power to draw you in with their creative design and hold your attention. Raku, which is essentially a random process almost invariably produces ethereal looking results that convey mystique. Other ceramic glazing techniques can also conjure up intriguing surface patterns and features. The appeal of this art is subjective and even a simple shape has the ability to be transcendental. I chose the following pieces based on these dreamstone concepts.

Wedgewood Fairyland Lustre Vase

The Art Nouveau fantasy ware of Wedgwood always moved through mysterious worlds.

Dreamstone panel from Dali, China

( Christies – sold $77,277 )

Rookwood vase, unusual folded form covered in a Vista Blue glaze, 1959

( Treadway Toomey Galleries )

Priscilla Mouritzen, Denmark

On the Outskirts – ” vessel of galaxies and nebulae twirling through an iridescent cosmos. Stars and saffron and bright white,fire red and gold “

Luster pottery by Paul J Katrich, USA

Awakening Lingam – Ann Mallory

Australian opal

Davis Edwards

( Monte Sano Art Festival )

Mark Goudy – water soluble metal salts glaze vessel

Mark states that his pieces are designed to manipulate your perception. ” They make you want to keep looking at them, but you can’t understand what you’re seeing. It’s almost meditative. The Mandala is an example of meditative art: complex patterns that seem to fold into themselves. There’s a whole science in Buddhism about creating these images you can stare at and meditate.”

Framed Chinese Dreamstone

( Potomac Viewing Stone Group )

Michael Wein Raku bottle

A Japanese “Ume” pattern stone

( Potomac Viewing Stone Group )

Hand built wood fired ceramic bell shaped pot salt glazed by Janet Mansfield, Australia

Cosmic Form

Saggar and horse hair stoneware

( Steven Allen – Flickr )

Green Dangao Shi Qing Figure plaque

Golden Constellations – Paul J Katrich

Paul Katich likes to explore his ceramic fantasies using luster, lava, and volcanic glazes.

A marble ovoid form quarried from the towering Cangshan Mountain Range which surrounds the ancient city of Dali in the province of Yunnan

Raku – Earthsong Pottery Rachel Coward

Antique Japanese porcelain vase

Greg Daly – footed bowl with rich lustre glaze in cobalt blue, copper, red and gilt, 1988

( Bemboka Gallery )

Chinese Dreamstone

Deb Stabley eathernware hand painted ceramic art

David Crane Raku Jar

Huang yu-ying

‘Just Before Dawn’ – Paul J Katrich

Chinese Meditation Stone

( Red Pagoda, Chicago )

Cesar Navarrete – Green and Red Beauty

( sandiafolk.com )

A Chinese Meditation Stone

Ceramic Dreamcatcher Gourd by Empress Lilandra

( deviantart )

” Park Guell “ – Carl Peverall raku ovoid sculpture

12″ x9″ x 7″

Sylvia Tell Trumbull

Bihn Pho – thin walled wooden sculptural vessel

Dawn Whitehand, Australia

The ceramic sculpture has been pit fired: a process where the unglazed ceramics are placed in a pit in the ground with organic materials that fume the surface of the sculpture to create dramatic yet soft organic tonal hues.

Cloud, misty, intangible and unattainable while constantly in motion; and its movement has the distinction of becoming another. “….

Puisaye Forterre

Shiva – Carl Peverall

” l use clay, fired in the raku technique, as a medium to express a very personal language that draws upon eclectic influences like quantum physics, the architecture of Antoni Gaudi and the sublime, elemental sculpture of Isamu Noguchi.”