Steven Skinner BlackTree Studio Pottery

~Frequently Asked Questions~

Where is BlackTree Studio Pottery located?

BlackTree Studio Pottery is in Northwest Indiana south of New Carlisle. Located between Lake Michigan and South Bend, six miles south of the Michigan/Indiana state line. We are easily accessable from Chicago via routes I80/90 and I94, Route 20 from Michigan City or Route 2 from South Bend.

Our pottery can also be found in downtown New Carlisle at
"The Potter's Wife" in Feeney's Hometown Goods. See our
Feeney's Hometown Goods page and map. Feeney's Hometown Goods.

Find our online store at BlackTree Studio Pottery Shop.

Q.	Why is your studio named BlackTree Studio?
A.	The name BlackTree Studio originates from the large black walnut trees that surround our pottery studio.

Q.	How long have your been making pottery?
A.	Louise and I have been an artists all our lives. I was a painter and watercolor painter for many years. Louise is a photographer. I began pottery in 2006 and established BlackTree Studio Pottery in 2008. We began selling our pottery in 2010. Visit my Bio page for details about my artistic career.

Q.	Who is part of BlackTree Studio Pottery?
A.	Louise and Steve are the founders, owners, and potters. Periodically, interns become part of the studio and help out. We are also joined my our two dogs, Jack & Pepper, and our three cats, Sir Harry, Muggins, & Maple. See our Staff Page for information about our clay studio staff.

Q.	Do you have your own kiln?
A.	Yes indeed! I have an electric kiln that I use to bisque greenware, and two high fire brick downdraft gas fired reduction kilns that I use to fire my glazed pottery.

Q.	Why do you "bisque" greenware?
A.	My pottery must be fired twice... first in my (electric) kiln to vitrify the greenware so it is durable enough to glaze, then the bisque ware is fired after it has beeen glazed in one of my gas reduction kilns for the final "high fire".

Q.	What is greenware?
A.	Greenware is pottery that has not yet been fired. Pottery is still clay until it has been fired. Upon firing the greenware is transformed by heat into ceramicware.

Q.	To what tempurature do you fire?
A.	I "fire" my electric kiln to cone 04, about 1950º fahrenheit, and I fire my gas high fire kilns to cone ten, which is about 2350º fahrenheit.

Q.	How long does it take to fire your kilns?
A.	The electric kiln bisque fires to tempurature in about 10 hours. An average firing of my high fire kilns is from 14 to 16 hours. It takes three to four days for the reduction kilns to cool.

Q.	How many pieces can you fire at a time?
A.	Depending on the size of the individual pieces, I can fit eighty to one-hundred pots in my smaller gas fired kiln. The larger "car" kiln holds about twice as many pots as the smaller kiln.

Q.	How often do you fire your pottery?
A.	On average, I fire every four to six weeks.

Q.	Your pottery looks like it is wood fired!
A.	People say that, but actually all of my pottery is gas reduction fired. My pottery sometimes has the appearance of being wood fired because I don't glaze the exteriors of my pots.

Q.	Why do you glaze only the interiors of your pottery?
A.	I like the look of clay, so I leave much of my pottery unglazed. The look of natural clay is very appealing to me, plus clay is the medium I am working in and I feel it is important to show and even emphazise its beauty.

Q.	I like your glazes!
A.	Thank you. The glazes I use have been chosen and formulated with care. I use each glaze sparingly to emphaze my sculptural forms, tones, and colors of the clays I use.

Q.	Do you make you own glazes?
A.	Yes, I make all of my own glazes. It is more cost effective plus making my own glazes allows more freedom in the choice of colors I prefer.

Q.	Do you use a potter's wheel to make your pottery?
A.	I use a potter's wheel in conjunction with specific hand building techniques to give my work an organic hand sculpted look. Also, I feel I am more creative when I use handbuilding techniques.

Q.	Is it difficult to inlay the porcelain in your pots?
A.	It is quite challenging. Porcelain shrinks more than stoneware so it can crack or pop out of the clay body when fired, but I have learned and developed several techniques that work consistantly.

Q.	What kind of clay do you use?
A.	I use several types of clay. The clay I prefer is a sculptural fireclay stoneware. It has a small amount of iron oxide added to give it a sandy color. I use another type stoneware for lighter changes in tone and color and I use porcelain for most of my inlay and marble work.

Q.	What is the difference between stoneware and earthenware?
A.	Earthenware is made from red clay or terra cotta and is low fired. It is porous and more fragile than stoneware. The stoneware I use is a high fire clay that I fire to about 2350° F. It is extremely durable and is impervious to liquids and will not absorb water.

Q.	Do you dig your own clay?
A.	Digging and preparing my own clay would be challenging and fun, and time consuming. Also, the soil where I live is very sandy, so I order my clay from a supplier in Minneapolis.

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Q.	Do you participate in many shows?
A.	Previous to 2020, BlackTree Studio participated in twelve to fourteen shows and events yearly. During 2020 we participated only in shows that were virtual online events. This year we are back to a full schedule of an anticipated eighteen venues.

Q.	Where do you show and sell your pottery?
A.	We sell our pottery in art and craft galleries and at scheduled art fairs and art festivals through-out the Mid-West. BlackTree Studio pottery is also sold at The Potter's Wife, BlackTree Studio's retail shop located in Feeney's Home Town Good's in New Carlisle, Indiana close to our clay studio. Our online store is BlackTreeStudio Pottery Store.

Q.	Where is the Potter's Wife located?
A.	The Potter's Wife is located In "Feeney's Hometown Goods" located in beautiful downtown New Carlisle, Indiana on the historic Lincoln Highway, Indiana State Route 20. We are only minutes from La Porte, South Bend, and Michigan City.

Q.	Do you take credit cards?
A.	We honor Visa, Mastercard, Discovery, American Express and Apple Pay.

Q.	Do you ship your pottery?
A.	Yes. We ship all over the United States and double box our pottery for safety. We ship via FedEx, UPS, and the USPS.

In what shows have you participated?

We have participated at American Craft Council shows in Baltimore, St Paul, and San Francisco, as well as The American Craft Exposition, 57th Street Art Fair, and One-of-a-Kind in the Chicago area. Other prominent shows include Ann Arbor Art Fair in Michigan, Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis, Cherry Creek Art Fair in Denver, Kentucky Crafted in Lexington, The Tennesse Art Fair, and The Columbus Art Fair in Ohio. Visit my Bio page for a detailed listing of past events and shows.

Q.	Do you make custom pottery to order?
A.	I make custom pottery if the request is in the style in which I work.

Q.	Do you teach pottery or give lessons?
A.	I am asked this often. I used to teach art and I enjoy teaching. Occasionally, I give workshops. At the moment I take on interns who are interested in studying art and pottery and sometimes take on a limited number of students.

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Q.	Is your potttery functional?
A.	BlackTree Studio is known for its artistic, sculpted, functional pottery. We make a variety of cups, bowls, pitchers. platters and vases. One of our most popular bowls is used for baking bread.

Q.	Is your pottery food safe?
A.	All pottery made at BlackTree Studio is non-toxic and food safe.

Q.	Can your pottery be put in a dishwasher?
A.	We do not recommend putting crafted pottery in dishwashers. We recommend that all crafted pottery be washed by hand.

Q.	Can I cook with your pottery?
A.	Our crucibles are often used for baking bread for which we offer a recipe. One can also bake in our ramekins, and melon bowls.

Q.	Are the rock jugs decorative only?
A.	Our rock jugs can be used as water or wine carafes and are among other things often used for olive oil or cooking or salad oils.

Q.	Will the porcelain in your pottery stain?
A.	We tested our pottery with red sauce and red wine left sitting overnight, and it rinsed out without leaving any stains.

Q.	Will your pottery hold fluids without leaking?
A.	Yes, certainbly. The stoneware we use is impervious to all liquids and will not absorb liquids or leak.

Q.	How durable is your pottery?
A.	All pottery will break if dropped or handled without care. BlackTree Studio pottery is made with stoneware and fired to almost 2400°F. It is therefore very durable and stronger than pottery made from low fire clays.

Q.	How do I take care of my crafted pottery?
A.	Crafted pottery needs little special care, but there are a few things one should know to keep it safe. See my “Care of Pottery” page for more information about ensuring your pottery's safety.

If you have more questions, write and I will respond to your queries.

Pottery

BlackTreeStudio.com