THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 5, 1995 TAG: 9502020158
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 11 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
There's a jagged opening about the size of a porthole in the wall of artist Dale Ball's Moyock home. Through it she can see a small island surrounded by turquoise waters.
Ball doesn't mind the hole that's cut into stone. In fact, she says, ``it always makes me smile.'' Dozens of times each day she passes by the watery vista to go to the kitchen, the living room, her studio. That's a lot of smiles.
And the hole in the stone - well, it's really paint. She created the glimpse of a tropical paradise to remind her of the view from her mother's home in Hawaii.
Ball spent 10 years in Hawaii, swimming to that very island, snorkeling around its edges amongst the coral reefs. ``I didn't put a sailboat in. I didn't want any people in it. I just wanted my island,'' said the 38-year-old artist.
Throughout Ball's home are reminders of the outdoors. She painted the wooden cornice that hangs over three large windows in the main room to resemble stone. Ball used sea sponges to apply a sea-green texture to the living room walls.
From the kitchen, Sunny, an Amazon parrot, yells, ``I want one,'' keeping company with several tropical birds in a neighboring cage. A multitude of environmental stickers cover the refrigerator - the Cousteau Society and Ranger Rick among them.
And across from the fridge just above the stove burners is a mini-mural done on tiles that Ball calls a ``classic kitchen theme.''
Painted by Ball in single strokes, the mural features strings of onions, garlic, herb bundles, Mason jars bearing the classic Ball name, a basket with cabbage, eggplant, peas, radishes and asparagus.
``We tend to take our food for granted so much. It's beautiful, the shapes. I love bottles and I love veggies,'' said Ball. ``Artichokes are neat.''
For anyone who may need convincing, Ball would suggest cutting an artichoke in half. ``Oh my God,'' she remembers thinking, ``look at the colors in there, look at the shapes.''
Ball, an Elizabeth City State University fine arts graduate, has been concentrating on tile painting lately. She started the business just six months ago. Already a neighbor has a veggie mural over her stove, and scattered throughout Ball's place are single tiles that depict a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Stacked on tables are ceramic squares of brilliantly colored ruby throated hummingbirds, sunflowers, chili peppers, bee hives, shells, fish or Delft blue birdhouses with tiny swallow-type birds sweeping in from the corners. Some tiles are inlaid in table tops to form a pattern. Others are used singularly.
Ball begins the process with a sketch that she transfers to a bisque tile. She then carefully paints on, stroke by stroke, her chosen glazes.
``They don't call it one stroke for nothing,'' Ball said. ``Every stroke you put down there shows up.
Finally, the tile is fired in the kiln, making the design heat- and water-resistant.
From Ball's subject matter, it's obvious that she has a deep respect for nature. She credits author Rachel Carson with bringing the ocean to life for her. ``She brought it to us in familiar terms,'' Ball said.
Nourishing herself with Albert Schweitzer's ``Reverence for Life'' and Carson's books, Ball's intellectual focus remains on nature. She remembers the gorgeous stream running through her back yard as a child, and nearby woods to explore.
``I would get on a bike and ride to the river myself,'' she said. ``That was real formative in my life, being close to nature and the seasons. If I could do it all over again, I would be a scientific illustrator.''
Tropical marine themes spring from tiles throughout Ball's studio. Longnose butterflies that Ball spotted while snorkeling in Hawaiian waters appear on a tile mural. A toucan is carved into a linoleum block. A watercolor painting of a man, his eyes cast downward, his hair a green mass of foliage, is displayed.
When Ball thinks of the pollution and development that destroys nature and creates homeless animals, she becomes disheartened. She was shocked when she discovered that the local animal shelter had no heat. Ball worked to change that. ``Not without a fight,'' she said.
Within the sanctity of Ball's Birdsfoot Studio, nature is examined, painted, revered. ``When I come in and shut the door, the world just falls away.
``Look at Mr. Rooster,'' Ball says with a laugh, holding a photograph of a former pet. ``He was magnificent.'' MEMO: To commission Dale Ball, call Birdsfoot Studio at (919) 435-6573. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY ELLEN RIDDLE
Dale Ball has painted a mini-mural just above the stove burners that
she describes as a ``classic kitchen theme.''
by CNB