What can I do at Stilt House Pottery?

When you come to the studio, we will give you a run down of how it all works. The basics are 1. Pick out a piece (or a few). 2. Pick out your glaze colors (you can also call them paints, but they are special and need to be fired in our kiln to be fully stable and beautiful). 3. Get to painting! We have lots of inspo around the studio, pinterest is a great spot to look, and we can always help you develop your vision in studio. 4 Leave it to be fired! This will take between 3-5 days, and then we will call you when its’ done and you can come pick up!

Do I need experience/skills to come to the studio?

NO! This studio is for anyone and everyone. If you have never painted pottery before, come prepared to try something new, be open to learning, and remember, there is no perfect art. Pottery painting is meant to bring joy and be fun. There are thousands of different glazes, brushes, pieces, etc in the world, and depending on how you use them, your pieces will always turn out in different ways. Our staff will absolutely guide you through the basics, and teach you more along the way.

What does the name “Stilt House Pottery” mean?

Great question, we’d love to tell you. But you have to come ask our owner in the studio while you’re painting a piece.

Just kidding. Stilts in the ceramics world are tiny nail beds that we set the pieces on when they are in the kiln so that they don’t stick to the shelves, as we allow you to paint the whole piece, including the bottom. They are not often talked about, but are an important part of the process. This studio is meant to be a second home to those that come in. A place for fun, relaxation, and memory making. We want you to bring all of your friends, family, co-workers, you name it. And pottery, cause, ya know, that’s what you’re painting.

Are the pieces food safe?

Yes! All of our standard glazes are completly food/serving safe. We do carry some specialty glazes that create beautiful affects via crystals, chem reactions, etc, which are not food safe, but we do not allow the use of those on any food items. You can also microwave them if you’d like, but please be advised that they might get hot to the touch. These items are also more fragile that ceramic dishware you would buy at a big-box store, as those have other addatives to make them stronger, so we do not recommend putting our items into the dishwasher.

Can I learn to make pieces/throw pottery?

At this time, we are not offering any throwing/clay building workshops. We are hopeful to partner with local potters in the future to host wheel classes. In the next year, we plan to offer a few fun clay workshops that will be based on hand-building.

Do I need a reservation?

At this time, we are not taking reservations during our regular studio hours. We will likely be able to accomodate groups of 8 or less for wallk-ins. If you have a larger group that you want to bring in during normal hours, please give us a call before and we can let you know if we have space. If you would like to reserve the space for a birthday party or private event, please check out our private/offsite event info page.

Do you fire outside work?

Yes and No. The more you’re able to tell us about what clay the piece is made of, what glaze was used, what firing temps the clay and glaze require, the more likely we are to fire for you. Our kilns can go up to Cone 10, but that is not our normal firing temp, so you might experience some wait time for getting items fired. We recommend bringing in as much as possible at once for better rates. Firing rates depend on the Cone needed, quanity of items brought in, and how complicated the items are. We do not allow anyone outside of our employment to load kilns, and all items from outside the studio are required to be glaze free on the bottom so they don’t stick to the shelves. If you bring in random items and have no idea what glaze is on them, where they came from, etc, we will not be able to fire them.

What age do kids need to be to paint?

If they’re outside the womb, they can paint! We have newborns brought in on a regular basis to get those super cute prints onto mugs and plates (they make amazing gifts). We do recomend waiting to bring them in for handprints until they have started opening their hands open on their own, but we can always try before then, and footprints can be done immeditaly. For painters that are less than 5yrs, we recomend having an adult who will be able to work with them to keep their painting safe, try to keep them from eating paint (it’s all nontoxic), and help encourage them along the way.

Do you always have the same items?

Nope! Our stock rotates often. There is no strict schedule, as we are constantly adapting for the seasons and holidays, but there will likely be new items on the shelves every week. We will alwasy have staple items, such as basic mugs, bowls, plates, and animal figures, but we try to keep it interesting. If you’re looking to paint a bulk amount of an item, please talk to us about special ordering items for you in the quantity you need so they don’t sell out before you have what you need!

Can I bring in pottery I bought at a garage sale, michaels, etc.

If you picked up bisqueware from a garage sale, we might be able to fire it, but we will need to see it in person before we can let you offically know. We reserve the right to turn away any outside items that we do not think are safe for our kilns.

Anything from Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Walmart, etc ARE NOT fireable. They have large amounts of plaster mixed into them, as they were designed to not be fired.

Do you sell clay, wheels, clay tools, specialty glazes, etc?

Kind of! Stilt House Pottery is not a distributor of the above items, but we might be able to order items for you, and lump them into our larger orders to help mitigate shipping costs. Please call or come to the studio to go over what you’re looking for specifically.

Do you do anything with urns?

No. Please call one of the local creamatoriums.