Jacqueline Wright has never considered Out Back Ceramics and Art Studio in Roy to be a business.
When she moved to Roy in 1979 and the shop was built and opened a year later, she used it as a place to express herself through art and enjoy spending time with friends. But when Wright’s friends began to bring their friends who wanted to purchase her oil paintings and ceramics, she realized she could extend it beyond her own personal circle.
Now, Wright, along with manager Katherine Soule, sell pieces of art and teach classes in various art forms such as hand building, dry brushing, raku, sea glass, beadwork, chalk, mosaics and more. Out Back, 32015 Tisch Road S., also hosts private classes for groups.
The operation has grown more than Wright could have imagined decades ago, but she still doesn’t consider it a business.
“I never thought about it as a business. It was a hobby. I still don’t consider it a business. It is a hobby,” she said.
Wright, like many artists, said one of the hardest parts about selling her artwork is putting a price on her pieces. She credited Soule, a customer-turned-manager, for helping her market Out Back to the Roy and surrounding communities.
“I am not a businesswoman. That’s my problem. I told Katherine she needs to go to business school because I never did and I didn’t know how to charge,” Wright said. “I don’t even have to be here. She does it all. I can’t believe how she learned so fast.”
Soule first visited Out Back as a customer last August looking for something for her son to do, as he enjoys drawing and coloring. But she fell in love with the business and learning from Wright, so she began working in the shop in October. Soule wants to open her own art studio just like Out Back in the future.
“I’ve learned how to do the techniques and stuff, but I feel like you can’t teach customer service. (Wright) is naturally good at customer service,” Soule said. “We try to have fun, and we try to make sure everybody else has fun. Arts are super important, and I think people, especially as they get older, forget about that with work and careers and children. It’s good for your own creativity and your own brain to never lose that happiness with art.”
Wright uses the shop to satisfy her own creativity. She acquired oil painting tools at the age of 8 but never touched them until she was 50, and while oil painting was her first love, she enjoys ceramics most today.
“I was always going to oil paint, so I started painting my pictures. My sister-in-law told me I was amateurish, so she said to get another job,” Wright said. “So I started ceramics.”
Wright taught herself how to make ceramics through online resources and books, and now she enjoys teaching creative people how to express themselves through art, including Soule.
“I enjoy helping them make something that they’re really proud of. We meet the most awesome people, people with so much talent and they don’t even know it,” Wright said.
Wright takes pride in the fact that 90% to 95% of the ceramics in the shop are poured, cleaned and fired on site. Very few items are brought in pre-made from outside the shop, and Out Back also can pour specific things for customers if requested.
To learn more about Out Back Ceramics and Art Studio, visit its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OutBackCeramicStudio.
