Jeff Spangler, Jade Hunter

WATERSTONES - The Art of Jeff Spangler

Waterstones is the term used by Jeff to name his form of natural sculpture. The same word in Japanese is Suiseki and denotes an ancient and living art form adopted from Chinese culture where these stones are referred to as Scholar Stones. This old and respected art of stone appreciation is as simple as picking up stones from the river or beach and carrying them home, to the elaborate ornate furniture “Dais” that are constructed to showcase exotically shaped stones. This broad spectrum of aesthetic love of stones can also encompass the still and meditative emotions of the solid feeling of a stone’s presence to the exhilaration of a magnificent mountain view. These are exactly the wondrous feelings that the asian artists have for so long worshiped by presenting entity stones in a formal and gracious manor. They often glorify natural stones in paintings and even sculpting mountains and famous stones of other stones or ceramic. This art celebrates Nature or God-dess for it’s perfection in enduring stone carved by water, wind, and sometimes the hand of man in a sacred way.

Jeff’s natural “Waterstone” sculptures are his own aesthetic presentation of stones that in his case are almost exclusively Jade. This not only means that the piece has the supreme living presence and lore of Jade about it, but also the added value that this most sacred of stones holds. This toughest natural mineral has literally been worshiped by more billions of people for more thousands of years than any other substance created by the earth. This enduring hard tough character is what has made it the ultimate tool makers tool throughout the stone age. This reverence has carried on to modern times as it is still appreciated as the beautiful gemstone that it also is.

This durability Jade has is a product of it’s crystal pattern that is a double helix laddered configuration the same as DNA, and similar to the Milky Way. This means that it is woven together like three dimensional cloth forming long needle like micro crystals that are totally meshed or in Jade terms “felted” together. This made the best tools that had to be ground to an edge because it wouldn’t break or cleave as other stones would. It also means that the Jade boulders found on a creek, river, or beach are many times, perhaps hundreds of times, older than the other native stones around them. Estimates place the age of many Jade deposits in the tens to hundreds of millions of years old. In the case of the Jade found in California some of it may have been formed at the spreading rift at the center of the Pacific ocean and other deposits deep in the belly of the earth below in the subduction zone where the Pacific and Continental plates collide. It is metamorphosed from Serpentine by extreme pressure and heat; more than can be created by man. We can make diamonds, but not Jade.

The plate tectonics of the subduction beneath California creates a furrowing action that causes a vertical rotation of stone that in our time frame is in extreme slow motion. This giant stone blender action we see as the Coast Range of mountains. The Jade boulders are birthed in the heat and pressure and then travel up through this “flow of stone” and are heavily eroded, sculpted, and polished in this movement up and then down in this big smoothie. the Jade is like the cherry “stones” or pits in the mix that survive after all the surrounding Serpentine etc. is pulverized. The surfacing of the Jade by erosion is the top of one of it’s possible many cycles and each time it gains more character as it is remetamorphosed.

After a Jade boulder is birthed in it’s sometimes twisted and contorted shape, often with textures and grain features like feathering and chatoyancy, it can be bleached by hot sulfide solutions deep in the earth. This process leaves a “halo” of lighter colored Jade to various depths around the outside of the stone. If the hydrothermal conditions are under enough pressure and over 2000 degrees the Jade can be “chicken boned” where it turns bone white partially or all the way through depending on conditions. The supercritical hot water also injects dendrite formations of black maidenhair like crystals of silver or other metals that pattern the Jade often to it’s core. In the presence of oxidation Jade also forms a deep dried blood red rind often referred to in California as Vulcan Jade. Any one or more of these after effects added to the Jade greatly enhance its appeal and signature of age. An ancient Jade boulder that been through the “mill” can literally be thought of as one of the oldest entities on this planet, and directly sculpted, polished and painted by the creator.

It has an enduring presence that is as close to being immortal as we will ever see. And, off course, each Jade stone is one of a kind: Mother makes no series when it comes to these Jade entities. A Jade Waterstone also transcends cultures as it is only it’s appreciation that is unique; it was created long before our species emerged on the planet and will outlast us. It is the ultimate antique and every culture has some form of affinity with stone, and Jade is foremost in this human / stone relationship.

The natural PRESENCE of a Jade stone is exactly what Jeff strives to highlight and present in his Waterstone sculptures. There is an instant and deep body felt relationship with these Stones when Jeff finds them in the mountain rivers; they have been waiting for recognition. One feels they are being watched as much as viewing the stone. This is a relationship that is permanent and beyond Mind. Preserving and enhancing this possibility for other viewers is in the art of presentation; it is both ancient and perpetually current. In this case the stone becomes dressed for the occasion, and is always eliciting profound encounters. This dressing can involve sometimes long days of hand rubbed highlight polishing, and studying different poses, silhouettes, and balance points. Then comes the unique method Jeff has developed to seat the stone intimately into the wood in a perfect fit to stabilize the piece, The sculpting of the “Dai” [base] comes next; this involves creating a form that is perfectly proportioned and complementary to the stone and supports its “weight”, physically, and visually. The piece becomes a new entity in “union”: Stone and Dai are wed. Many hours of hand sanding, polishing, and finishing follow this shaping before the piece is completed. In all cases each is a very unique individual, and as new as it is, it is still the oldest of antiques and absolutely timeless.

Display of these Waterstones in an Asian tradition can be as involved as building an entire home or other building around the stone and considering it the heart of the structure or room; then all aesthetic design radiates from the stone. Also small alcoves or alters are often constructed for the stone. The art of stone appreciation is also widely used in the garden and outdoor landscaping in our culture as well as the older traditions. Jeff prefers a setting for his pieces that allow the viewer access to all sides by having the stone centrally located, or having it on a rotating base to change views. This brings the stones to life by not allowing a familiarity with one view. He has also added motorized bases to pieces that turn at about one revolution per minute; this movement and the resulting shadow play that results when the piece is flood lighted from low in the front is very dramatic.

Your imagination in displaying the stone and in what you see in it is ultimately the intention of the “artist” and the “stone”. When you encounter a piece of sculpture that has been carved into a subject this engages the viewer to the mind and feelings of the artist and minimally to the material: the relationship is primarily to the artist. With the Waterstones Jeff strives to allow the viewer to have a direct experience with the Jade as he has. His art becomes an act of facilitating your direct communion with the stone; it is a balanced trinity. This is much like Shamanism, a direct experience with Spirit, with a guide to help: and unlike religion where there is a middle man between you and Spirit. The powerful presence of these Stones allows even the western viewer to see as native Americans and most ancient cultures do : that is, this Stone is ALIVE !!!

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	WATERSTONES - The Art of Jeff Spangler Waterstones is the term used by Jeff to name his form of natural sculpture. The same word in Japanese is Suiseki and denotes an ancient and living art form adopted from Chinese culture where these stones are referred to as Scholar Stones. This old and respected art of stone appreciation is as simple as picking up stones from the river or beach and carrying them home, to the elaborate ornate furniture “Dais” that are constructed to showcase exotically shaped stones. This broad spectrum of aesthetic love of stones can also encompass the still and meditative emotions of the solid feeling of a stone’s presence to the exhilaration of a magnificent mountain view. These are exactly the wondrous feelings that the asian artists have for so long worshiped by presenting entity stones in a formal and gracious manor. They often glorify natural stones in paintings and even sculpting mountains and famous stones of other stones or ceramic. This art celebrates Nature or God-dess for it’s perfection in enduring stone carved by water, wind, and sometimes the hand of man in a sacred way. Jeff’s natural “Waterstone” sculptures are his own aesthetic presentation of stones that in his case are almost exclusively Jade. This not only means that the piece has the supreme living presence and lore of Jade about it, but also the added value that this most sacred of stones holds. This toughest natural mineral has literally been worshiped by more billions of people for more thousands of years than any other substance created by the earth. This enduring hard tough character is what has made it the ultimate tool makers tool throughout the stone age. This reverence has carried on to modern times as it is still appreciated as the beautiful gemstone that it also is. This durability Jade has is a product of it’s crystal pattern that is a double helix laddered configuration the same as DNA, and similar to the Milky Way. This means that it is woven together like three dimensional cloth forming long needle like micro crystals that are totally meshed or in Jade terms “felted” together. This made the best tools that had to be ground to an edge because it wouldn’t break or cleave as other stones would. It also means that the Jade boulders found on a creek, river, or beach are many times, perhaps hundreds of times, older than the other native stones around them. Estimates place the age of many Jade deposits in the tens to hundreds of millions of years old. In the case of the Jade found in California some of it may have been formed at the spreading rift at the center of the Pacific ocean and other deposits deep in the belly of the earth below in the subduction zone where the Pacific and Continental plates collide. It is metamorphosed from Serpentine by extreme pressure and heat; more than can be created by man. We can make diamonds, but not Jade. The plate tectonics of the subduction beneath California creates a furrowing action that causes a vertical rotation of stone that in our time frame is in extreme slow motion. This giant stone blender action we see as the Coast Range of mountains. The Jade boulders are birthed in the heat and pressure and then travel up through this “flow of stone” and are heavily eroded, sculpted, and polished in this movement up and then down in this big smoothie. the Jade is like the cherry “stones” or pits in the mix that survive after all the surrounding Serpentine etc. is pulverized. The surfacing of the Jade by erosion is the top of one of it’s possible many cycles and each time it gains more character as it is remetamorphosed. After a Jade boulder is birthed in it’s sometimes twisted and contorted shape, often with textures and grain features like feathering and chatoyancy, it can be bleached by hot sulfide solutions deep in the earth. This process leaves a “halo” of lighter colored Jade to various depths around the outside of the stone. If the hydrothermal conditions are under enough pressure and over 2000 degrees the Jade can be “chicken boned” where it turns bone white partially or all the way through depending on conditions. The supercritical hot water also injects dendrite formations of black maidenhair like crystals of silver or other metals that pattern the Jade often to it’s core. In the presence of oxidation Jade also forms a deep dried blood red rind often referred to in California as Vulcan Jade. Any one or more of these after effects added to the Jade greatly enhance its appeal and signature of age. An ancient Jade boulder that been through the “mill” can literally be thought of as one of the oldest entities on this planet, and directly sculpted, polished and painted by the creator. It has an enduring presence that is as close to being immortal as we will ever see. And, off course, each Jade stone is one of a kind: Mother makes no series when it comes to these Jade entities. A Jade Waterstone also transcends cultures as it is only it’s appreciation that is unique; it was created long before our species emerged on the planet and will outlast us. It is the ultimate antique and every culture has some form of affinity with stone, and Jade is foremost in this human / stone relationship. The natural PRESENCE of a Jade stone is exactly what Jeff strives to highlight and present in his Waterstone sculptures. There is an instant and deep body felt relationship with these Stones when Jeff finds them in the mountain rivers; they have been waiting for recognition. One feels they are being watched as much as viewing the stone. This is a relationship that is permanent and beyond Mind. Preserving and enhancing this possibility for other viewers is in the art of presentation; it is both ancient and perpetually current. In this case the stone becomes dressed for the occasion, and is always eliciting profound encounters. This dressing can involve sometimes long days of hand rubbed highlight polishing, and studying different poses, silhouettes, and balance points. Then comes the unique method Jeff has developed to seat the stone intimately into the wood in a perfect fit to stabilize the piece, The sculpting of the “Dai” [base] comes next; this involves creating a form that is perfectly proportioned and complementary to the stone and supports its “weight”, physically, and visually. The piece becomes a new entity in “union”: Stone and Dai are wed. Many hours of hand sanding, polishing, and finishing follow this shaping before the piece is completed. In all cases each is a very unique individual, and as new as it is, it is still the oldest of antiques and absolutely timeless. Display of these Waterstones in an Asian tradition can be as involved as building an entire home or other building around the stone and considering it the heart of the structure or room; then all aesthetic design radiates from the stone. Also small alcoves or alters are often constructed for the stone. The art of stone appreciation is also widely used in the garden and outdoor landscaping in our culture as well as the older traditions. Jeff prefers a setting for his pieces that allow the viewer access to all sides by having the stone centrally located, or having it on a rotating base to change views. This brings the stones to life by not allowing a familiarity with one view. He has also added motorized bases to pieces that turn at about one revolution per minute; this movement and the resulting shadow play that results when the piece is flood lighted from low in the front is very dramatic. Your imagination in displaying the stone and in what you see in it is ultimately the intention of the “artist” and the “stone”. When you encounter a piece of sculpture that has been carved into a subject this engages the viewer to the mind and feelings of the artist and minimally to the material: the relationship is primarily to the artist. With the Waterstones Jeff strives to allow the viewer to have a direct experience with the Jade as he has. His art becomes an act of facilitating your direct communion with the stone; it is a balanced trinity. This is much like Shamanism, a direct experience with Spirit, with a guide to help: and unlike religion where there is a middle man between you and Spirit. The powerful presence of these Stones allows even the western viewer to see as native Americans and most ancient cultures do : that is, this Stone is ALIVE !!!