島谷織流合作聯盟成員介紹_石梯窯

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雖然出生在台北，定居石梯坪之前的侯小圓，其實已經秉持著某種「流浪性格」，在台灣南方、東部的許多地方，都已有過駐足。她彷彿一直在尋找一種更適合彼時的她的生活方式、一個更能令她心安的所在，轉向生命中一個又一個安棲之地。第一次碰到陶土，是她在台東都蘭的時候。2012年，她開始在都蘭生活，起初，因為喜愛品茶，她以茶藝和大家交朋友；隔年，因為漸漸認識了一些在地的陶藝家，帶著直覺，也想投入捏土做陶的世界。或許對陶藝家來說，親身的實做才是最重要的吧？她的陶藝師朋友不願意教授她，卻給了她一份土，讓她自己去捏。她像初學的孩子，自己摸索、自己上網找方法，就這樣開始了她的陶藝之路。

捏陶、製陶、燒陶…是專業技藝，侯小圓一頭栽進陶藝的世界，因對傳統柴燒方式情有獨鍾，為了完成自己的柴燒作品，頭幾年的她，甚至會把陶土載到初鹿，找有柴燒窯的地方寄燒。漸漸的，侯小圓開始累積了自己的創作，也開始透過藝術，和更多生活在東海岸的創作者產生連結，例如與住在花蓮豐濱的馬浪．烏瓦日相遇，著手建構「當漂流木遇見陶」工作室。就像工作室名稱一樣，這是一場漂流木與陶土的相遇，侯小圓也從這個時候，開始思考如何將自己的作品與不同觸感、不同視覺意象的媒材擺在一起，她改變風格，從過去做比較小型的物件，轉向一些更大的造型嘗試。

2015年，為了更順利的合作，侯小圓也決定離開都蘭，搬到花蓮豐濱去生活。豐濱和都蘭一樣，都是面朝遼遠大海、居住著近海的民族，侯小圓落腳於此，兩年後，雖和馬浪結束合作，這裡減法的生活、樸實的磚屋，也已讓她的心與手都安定下來。2017年，她在石梯坪成立「石梯窯」，也擁有了自己的柴燒窯；這幾年，她偶爾開課，與來自不同地方的朋友交流、分享陶藝生活，更多的，是潛心在捏土、柴燒的生活裡。柴燒是一種高度倚賴「經驗」的技術，從木頭濕度、火流、作品的擺放…等，在在都考驗者陶藝家的能耐。侯小圓以緩慢、閒散的速度，一年燒一窯，卻生活得越來越踏實。

侯小圓的許多作品除了形式自在、不受制式樣態拘束的花器、器皿，她也開始漸漸思考如何將作品呈現在更多不同的介面上。這幾年的捏陶經驗，讓她知道，土，也可以很柔美，她並且覺得，不想離開了。

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Although born in Taipei, before settling in Shitiping, Hou Hsiao-yuan had already embraced a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, residing in various places in southern and eastern Taiwan, perpetually seeking a more suitable way of life and a place that could bring her peace of mind. Her first encounter with clay was during her time in Taitung’s Dulan. In 2012, she began living in Dulan, initially drawn by her love for tea and the opportunity to make friends through tea art. The following year, as she gradually got to know local ceramic artists, she felt an intuitive pull towards the world of pottery. Perhaps for ceramic artists, hands-on practice is paramount? Her ceramic artist friends were unwilling to teach her but gave her clay instead, allowing her to mold it herself. Like a novice child, she experimented and researched online, thus beginning her journey into pottery.

Hand-building, crafting, firing—these became Hou Hsiao-yuan’s professional skills. She immersed herself completely in the world of ceramics, particularly enamored with traditional wood firing. In the early years, she even transported clay to Chulu, searching for places with wood-fired kilns to fire her pottery. Over time, Hou Hsiao-yuan began accumulating her own creations and connecting with more creators living on Taiwan’s east coast through art. For instance, meeting Ma Lang Uvas in Fongbin, Hualien, prompted her to establish the “Driftwood Meets Pottery” studio. Just as the studio’s name suggests, it marked the intersection of driftwood and clay. From then on, she began contemplating how to integrate her works with different textures and visual images of various materials. She shifted her style from making relatively small objects to experimenting with larger forms.

In 2015, to facilitate smoother collaboration, Hou Hsiao-yuan decided to leave Dulan and move to Fongbin, Hualien. Similar to Dulan, Fongbin faces the vast ocean and is inhabited by coastal communities. Hou Hsiao-yuan settled here, and although her collaboration with Ma Lang ended two years later, the minimalist lifestyle and simple brick house had already settled her heart and hands. In 2017, she established “Shitiping Kiln” in Shitiping, acquiring her own wood-fired kiln. Over the years, she occasionally conducted workshops, exchanging and sharing ceramic art life with friends from different places, but more importantly, she immersed herself in the practice of hand-building and wood firing. Wood firing is a technique highly reliant on experience, involving factors like wood moisture, flame flow, and placement of artworks, all testing the skills of a ceramic artist. Despite her slow and leisurely pace, firing a kiln annually, Hou Hsiao-yuan found her life increasingly grounded and stable.

Many of Hou Hsiao-yuan’s works are not only free-form flower vases and vessels unconstrained by conventional patterns but also reflect her growing consideration of presenting works across different interfaces. Her experiences in hand-building pottery over the years taught her that clay can be delicate and beautiful, and she feels no desire to leave it behind.