AMAZING GLAZE: Get your ceramic on, fellowship with friends, and get a great bargain!

I have been aware that there is a little known secret ceramics studio in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church of Orlando’s Allen Hall (downtown Orlando) for about eight months now, but I had not visited it myself until last night. On a whim, a friend who volunteers there asked us to join her, her daughter, and my eldest daughter for a few hours of ceramics fun in celebration of my girl’s 14^th birthday. It’s called Amazing Glaze, and it’s tons of fun!

I was surprised at the size and comprehensiveness of this studio—it’s in a dedicated room of about 15’ x 20’ (I didn’t measure this, so it might be much larger than that, but those who know me know not to come to me for directions, measurements, or precise…anything). The lovely space is decorated with finished pieces of ceramics that patrons and volunteers have made over the years, and there are spacious découpaged, brightly-colored tables to work on. There’s even a painted “It’s my birthday!” chair for the honored guest.

There are shelves upon shelves of unfinished ceramics to paint, colors to choose from, and books to consult for inspiration. Brushes in every size and shape, painter palettes, sponges, decals, stencils, and more await someone’s creative use. On a Wednesday night, when we were there, we were also treated to other guest ceramic artists making gifts for loved ones; a new bride using her Amazing Glaze gift certificate; a boisterous youth group activity upstairs; beautiful organ music filling the hallways with churchy-sounds; our girls rehearsing their songs from their upcoming musical Hairspray, and the quiet, steady work of custodial staff preparing the church and school for the next day. Amid chit-chat and quiet conversation, we each chose our blank canvases: An unfinished bowl to hold jewelry for my birthday girl, a fairy on a sliver moon for my youngest, and for me, a series of plaques that will be put together to make a hanging name-piece for our entry way.

The volunteers who work at the studio for free (and a little bit of a discount) are friendly, helpful, and eager to help guests learn how to maximize their ceramic-painting experience. Here, unlike some for-profit studios around town, participants are not rushed by time limits or sitting fees. There simply are none. They can start a piece and come back to work on it again on a different day, they can wait to pay until they are ready to have their pieces fired, and they can even take a piece home with them to work on in their own homes, with just a promise that they will bring the materials back to the studio when they’re done.

Additionally, prices are incredibly reasonable at Amazing Glaze. Starting at about $2 for small chachkies, the charges go up to about $40-50ish for some of the larger pieces. The pieces I mentioned above that we painted were collectively around $40 total. The firing of the pieces takes about two weeks to finish and return, but there is no extra fee for the kiln either.

Any way you paint it, Amazing Glaze is a fun, inexpensive way to spend an enjoyable morning or evening. If you’re so inclined, you can also share faith, fellowship, and friendly conversation with the other guests while you work. There’s music if you want it, little treats for snacking, and busy work for little ones who need something to occupy their bodies and minds while mommy paints.

Hours are Wednesdays from 6:00-9:00 PM and Thursdays from 9:00AM-12:00 noon. In September, the studio will offer additional hours over lunchtime on Mondays from 11:00-2:00. The studio has a Facebook page called Sonja Schoonmaker (Amazing Glaze Ceramics), and the studio phone number is 407-423-3441 x2226. Parking downtown need not be an issue because you can park kitty-corner from the church in the county administration building at the Jackson and Rosalind streets intersection. Try it out and have a great summer evening with your family or friends!

*Amy was not paid for this post. This write up is 100% her own, not biased in any way!