Colin Rigsby Pipes

Pipe carver Colin Rigsby hails from the great state of Texas. Born in Los Angeles, Colin grew up under the influence of a father in the advertising business along with his crew of misfit photographers and artists. This laid an artistic foundation for Colin that carried him through college, in and out the music business as a working bassist and songwriter, and a career as a commercial print and packaging professional.

His love affair with pipe smoking began over 18 years ago. Colin found himself stagnated with the limits of his hobbies at the time, cooking and painting. These crafts were exciting, but once complete either quickly disappeared or were not functional. Pipe making presented itself as a bridge between the artistic and the practical, a bridge he has traversed for over 14 years. Colin rapidly made a name for himself in the pipe community by becoming a fixture at shows, presenting well made pipes at reasonable prices, and striving to open up his craft to new ideas and techniques.

Colin draws inspiration from diverse sources. Always a fan of the classics, most of his work focuses on traditional shapes with the occasional foray into the freehands inspired by European, Eastern European and Asian masters, although Paulo Becker is one of his biggest influences. This diverse cadre of inspiration is reflected in his own pipe collecting trends. Colin owns a large collection of vintage Dunhill pipes in addition to a number of fine pipes from all over the world, artisan and production alike.

While Colin’s pipe making satisfies his artistic urge, Colin says the biggest reward from this industry has been the many good friends and interesting people he has met along the way. “If I get nothing else out of this journey, it will be a life full of good friends, from all over the world, that I would have never met unless it was for this hobby we all love.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.