Born 1978. Ryan Mitchell is an independent American artist based in Jingdezhen where he established a studio practice and moniker penned ‘Coal Ball’.  Known for earthy expressive sculptural works in clay; Mitchell emerged as an active part of the contemporary ceramic arts environ amid the mountains of Montana, where he holds an MFA from the University of Montana Missoula. Mitchell’s sculpture pursues the expressive potential of the materials used, linking different cultural and historical representations. Mitchell's work explores the intersections of nature and humanism that intuitively weave image, sculpture, vessel and abstraction. 

 As a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, the founding artistic director of Taoxichuan Jingdezhen International Studio, as well as an academic International curator for Jingdezhen Ceramic University; Mitchell has been an active and prominent international artist establishing and making platforms for bridging east-west dialogues and interchanges in the arts since 2007.