(Images: Ananya Mishra)

Meet the Capitol Hill Artist is an occasional series on CHS documenting the lives of the artists behind the neighborhood’s galleries and arts venues.

By Ananya Mishra

“I’m here where I am now because of clay and clay is just dirt. It’s crazy to think about that.”

Gabe Virgen works 12 to 13 hours a day at his Capitol Hill business, Rain Ceramics. He is able to successfully live off of his passion by selling his ceramics, teaching pottery classes, and maintaining a studio for independent artists to work out of. As a solo entrepreneur, he is responsible for every aspect of the business, whether that’s reclaiming (recycling) clay, managing social media accounts, or cleaning up at the end of the day.

When he was younger, Gabe envisioned that he would work a salaried job with benefits. His parents immigrated to Olympia from Mexico in the 90s and often faced financial difficulties while he was growing up.

After he completed his undergraduate degree in studio art and ceramics, he enrolled in a masters program for architecture at the University of Washington, but soon left the program when he realized that he was able to sustain himself by doing what he loved.

“A lot of clay is just working through things. I never feel at home the way that I do when I’m behind a [pottery] wheel.”

His creative process depends on the task at hand. When Gabe works on “production” pieces for his customers and needs to create multiple versions of the same planter, for example, the repetition becomes meditative. He feels as if he’s able to disconnect from the world. Creating vases and other new pieces, in contrast, are a way for him to process his emotions and work through his problems.

During the isolation of the pandemic, Gabe was able to create his most meaningful piece of artwork. He made planters that appeared as if they were crying and called them “cry pots.” These were a reflection of the anxiety he felt and he noticed that they resonated with other people on social media as well.

Visit Rain Ceramics studio at 1423 10th Ave Studio C. It’s in the same building as Supergenius Tattoo and the door is located past Horizon Books. Visit the website for more information and view the artwork on Instagram.

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