Owner and potter Nate Fields has been making pottery since he was in high school. His hobby became a passion when he started working alongside his mentor and friend, Bob Meier, founder of Doe Ridge Pottery, while in college at Appalachian State University almost 25 years ago. Nate quickly realized that he had to follow his joy and became a career potter in 2003. He has spent much of his time working in his home studio in the rolling countryside of Ashe County. For the past several years he has enjoyed teaching pottery classes at Appalachian State University both to undergraduate students in the Department of Industrial Design as well as community members through the Craft Enrichment Program. Throughout this time he has worked hand in hand with Bob at Doe Ridge Pottery. In 2024 Nate purchased Doe Ridge Pottery from his longtime friend and relocated it to West Jefferson, North Carolina. Nate has always had the eye of an artist, finding beauty in the mundane. As a child he collected interesting bits and pieces and has incorporated this unique skill into his artwork by finding a use for toys, trash and treasure as a platform for introducing new textures and forms into his functional pottery. He uses a combination of hand building and wheel throwing in his work to create pottery that speaks to the soul.
