Owen Bullock

“Sculptural vessel”

for Hiroe Swen

new pots
the buckling
of age

One feature of Hiroe’s pieces is a strip that looks more like rock than clay. Clay can be made to look like almost any other material, from wood to wool, even plastic.

"sculptural vessel"
the green sea swirls
beneath her glaze

Yesterday, in her artist talk, Hiroe posed the question, “Is it necessary?” She thinks in terms of paring everything back to the minimum and then adding only details that seem essential. She answers her own question: there’s nothing superfluous in her work.

Large, “chunky” pots, as she calls them, can be made to seem more delicate by having a sloping edge at the top. I noticed now how many of her large pieces include narrow apertures which give an impression of slightness; or they’re narrow in depth, though large in height and width.

When asked if she notices any characteristics that make Australian ceramics distinctive, she says that each mature artist has a unique expression.

her presence
standing
with the pot

Why do I look at her work for so long? Intoxicated. Am I looking for symbols? The objects are pleasing in themselves but also point to things beyond, especially where the reference point is less obvious than, say, a bird, flower or fish. Some of the jars with straight bases, rather than tapering, are monolithic, suggesting mountains. In others there are valleys.

lines on the vessel
reaching my favourite
hill

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About the Author

Owen Bullock has published five books of haiku, a bilingual edition of tanka, four collections of longer poems, and a novella. He uses haibun as a model for other hybrid forms; his most recent title is Pancakes for Neptune (Recent Work Press, 2023). He teaches creative writing at the University of Canberra. Owen’s other interests include music and juggling.

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