Article by Jennifer Dempsey
Local Artist – November 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine
SALIDA ARTIST Ross Elgin has had a successful pottery business for more than 30 years. But last month when he was called for an interview, he was more focused on the economy than his pottery line, Igneous Earth Works.
“I need to watch this bailout decision,” the 56-year-old said. “Can I call you back in half an hour?”
When Elgin called back, the state of the economy was still on his mind as he debated the financial pros and cons of going to a crafts show in Las Vegas.
“I had a show right after 9/11 and I thought what’s the use? But I ended up having a better show than I thought I would,” he recalled. “I discovered that in times of crisis people want something that gives them a sanctuary. They buy a coffee cup from me and it gives them a warm feeling — or five minutes of solace as they look out the window at the sun coming up. Pottery does that to people, I know it does.”
“But,” he continued, ” 9/11 was more of an emotional thing. People said ‘I need some TLC. This is a little different. Now people are asking themselves ‘Am I going to spend $10 on coffee mug? No I better put that in the gas tank.'”
The next day, Elgin decided he would go to the Vegas show.
“A teacher once told me, ‘Let the clay carry you, you’ll find out what to do with it. If you are going to do this as a career, let it carry.’ And it has, both in terms of my self-worth and self-esteem and financially.”
Born in Pennsylvania, raised in California and Connecticut, Elgin discovered his passion for pottery in high school.
“It was unusual for a high school to have natural gas downdraft kilns, but ours did,” he said. “My teacher came from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design). She told me ‘you can spend a lifetime and never learn all the different techniques, the types of firing. You will never get bored.’ For me now the more creative thing is developing glazes and seeing how the colors look on certain pieces.”
Elgin spent two years studying at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland before earning a BS in Ceramics from the University of Oregon. After graduation, he established a studio in Bend, Oregon, and immediately got an account with Nordstroms.
“Right away I got into the wholesale business,” he said. “I had 6 – 8 employees, I thought everything was great. I felt I was big time, and maybe I was, but I also had big-time problems. Big accounts stretch out their payments for up to 3 months, so business-wise it turned into a mini disaster. The whole thing became something else than about my love (pottery).”
ELGIN “LEFT THE SCENE” and went into a different line of work altogether, selling drilling pipes in Saudi Arabia. Pipe specialist by day, Elgin was able to keep his hand in clay by attaining a studio and teaching pottery classes at the Aramco School.
When he moved back to the US in 1984, “I was kind of lost,” he said. “I went to the Pacific Northwest and thought what am I gonna do? I looked around and realized that the craft fairs and markets had bloomed into mature venues. I began hearing stories of people making $5,000 – $10,000 at shows. So I got back into clay, moved to Santa Fe, quickly ended up in Albuquerque and have been back in pottery ever since.”
Elgin has featured his work at shows across the nation: the American Crafts Council, the Buyers Market of America, Weems, Tempe Festival of the Arts. The shows brought Elgin accounts throughout the country, but today he concentrates his business in Colorado and New Mexico. He has regular accounts in Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Taos, Colorado Springs, Moab, and Scottsdale.
“I don’t want the hassle or expense of shipping my work across the country,” he said. “And I don’t have to hustle like you do when you first get into a business. I’m so blessed that over my career span I have galleries that are basically family. I’ve not had one gallery say ‘I no longer want your pots.’ It’s been absolutely amazing to me.”
So whether or not he makes a sale in Vegas, Elgin has no plans of ever giving up pottery.
“I will be doing this until the day I die,” he said. “I don’t see it ever leaving me.”
Elgin’s work can be seen at Mountain Spirit Gallery on Highway 50 and at the Courtyard Gallery in Buena Vista. To see more of his work, contact Elgin at 719-539-6274.
Jennifer Dempsey is a free-lance writer and director of the Salida Circus.
