Mike Ball, Riverbirch Pottery
1300 Peeler Road, Vale NC, 28168, (704)-740-7910, riverbirchpottery@yahoo.com www.southernpotters.com/mikeball
Before entering the pottery profession, Ball completed five years of military service as a Marine, during which time he served in Desert Storm. As a Michigan native, Ball's love of nature in combination with his need to travel led him to Japan. Drawn to the country's natural beauty and rich craft history, Ball settled near a small pottery village, Mirazaki Miru. This was a pivotal point in his career, learning traditional Japanese pottery making and wood firing techniques.
After a three year stay in Japan, Ball received an apprenticeship with Kim Ellington, a traditional Catawba Valley Folk-Art Potter working in Vale, North Carolina. "As an apprentice, I chopped a lot of wood and mixed a lot of clay," says Ball. Under the guidance of Ellington and Charles Lisk, Ball learned how to process locally mined materials into workable clay and alkaline glazes. "When making glazes, I try to work intuitively, adding materials when the color and consistency seems right." In addition, Ball learned how to construct and fire a Groundhog kiln
Currently, Ball owns and operates Riverbirch Pottery, located in the Vale area; however, he continues to trade work, share ideas, and volunteer his time amongst other potters working within the Catawba Valley community. Among the many forms Ball produces, the most popular are his face jugs, bean pots and guineas. Although Ball buys some materials from local suppliers, 90% of his materials are native to the area, including the ashes in his wood burning stove. "For me, making pottery is a labor a love, a lifestyle," Ball says.
His art can be found at American Folk Art and Framing in Asheville, Jacobs Fork Gallery in Hickory or on his front lawn during kiln openings
