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From Tiles to Teapots and Everything In Between |
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To find a hidden treasure in the Hampton Roads area you only need two things: a newspaper to tell you about local interests, and an open mind to follow through on the ideas. Recently, my friends came home from college, and it seems that there is never anything to do. With pure boredom as the motivator, one of my friends ventured to downtown Hampton and discovered the hidden treasure. |
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����������� Glazenfyre is a small ceramic shop in downtown Hampton. When you walk in, you are greeted by smiling faces willing to help you select an item to paint. There are dozens of choices from tiles to teapots and everything in between. The feeling of what to choose overwhelmed me at first, but after circling the store for 10 minutes, I began to key in on one piece to paint. |
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����������� The first time I went two of my friends came with me. I walked in feeling like Pablo Picasso, and I knew what ever I selected to paint would ultimately become a masterpiece. I asked the cashier how much a plate was and when she told me ten dollars I decided to try something a little less pricey.� In the end, it was a good decision because when I sat down with the tile in front of me I froze. It was like taking a final exam, and the essay question was one I could not answer. I sat there for a couple of minutes and realized that this was a tile. How well I painted it would not determine my GPA, so I decided to have some fun. |
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����������� When the basic design had been created for my tile, an employee helped me get my paints. The paints used are acrylic so that they will not be altered in the firing process.� Every color the store has is already painted on a tile so that you can see what it will look like on the finished product. The paints are assigned a number so that all you have to do is write the number of the paint on your pallet. After you have picked your colors, the employee will squirt the chosen colors on your pallet and give it back to you. Your final step before painting your masterpiece is choosing paintbrushes.� The brush is essential to create certain looks. If you want to paint a small area with details then you need a thin brush, but if you want to paint a large area without much detail, then you should use a fat brush. |
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����������� I sat back down at my table and began to paint. I have always aspired to be creative but usually end up making my own version of someone else's ideas. I started to paint my initials (how creative), but they say those who doodle their name are destined for success. As it turns out, painting is pretty difficult and pretty permanent. After looking at the finished product of my free hand initials with a grape vine coming through the middle and ending at the top, I decided my tile was hideous.� I picked up another tile and started painting again. I went with a zebra motif, and again it seemed I was headed for disaster. It was the color lilac that saved me. With a fat brush I dabbed lilac in the unused white spaces.� I thought that it was quite good when it was done, and I donated it to the store. In a couple of weeks that tile will appear in a table for everyone to see. |
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In fact I did create a masterpiece. I am sure people for generations will come and look at my tile with great admiration and respect for my talent. The point is that I had fun with my friends. Glazenfyre is not the typical place my friends and I go. To be truthful, I am tired of the same old thing like movies, and Starbucks, and bars.� I thought this was a cheap way to get together with my friends, and my tile will always remind me of that rainy Sunday afternoon. I am so glad my friends read the newspaper and kept an open mind, because I have a feeling that Glazenfyre is a diamond in the rough. |
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Glazenfyre Link |
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Back to the papers |
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