Description

When entering the Stonefire building, the smell of fresh paint immediately fills your lungs. This immediately draws you to look around and see all the beautiful paintings all over the walls. When you walk you can feel yourself smiling from all of the positivity around the place. Smiling is something you just can not help when you are there. You can almost feel your eyes vibrating trying to concentrate on ONE of the millions of colors surrounding you. Stonefire just gives you this internal feeling of peace. You can hear Maxine’s crazy taste in music playing consistently. You see all sorts of lovely things that you just want to touch, and tools you may have never seen before. The things you see around Stonefire vividly stick in your mind even hours after you leave. There is  absolutely no other place like Stonefire around this area.

Why volunteering is important....

 Volunteering is something that isn't looked closely enough at. Most people who still partake in volunteering do it for reasons other than personal fulfillment. Volunteering seems to be done only when it has to be, whether it be for a grade, or for criminal reasons, people do it because they have to, not because they want to. In my opinion this is a sad thing. Volunteering for any specific place shows commitment, and selflessness. Not many people can say they volunteer just because it's the right thing to do. How many people sit around on a daily basis just waiting for something to happen. I don't understand why people who have so much spare time don't go do something worthwhile. I learned through volunteering at StoneFire Art Studio that just one volunteer can make a difference. Even something that seems miniscule to yourself, means alot to someone else. I learned alot through volunteering for Stonefire, like that I actually enjoyed art, and photography more than I thought I did. I think everyone should partake in volunteering somewhere. And the good thing is that along with a gracious act, you may actually learn about something new, that you may enjoy!

My day at stonefire....

I walk into StoneFire art gallery at the very peak of a beautiful spring day. Walking through the huge garage doors opened in the back, I walk to the table in the the center of the room to sign myself in, as usual. I walk around trying to find Maxine (she runs the place) to ask her what task she would like me to complete for the day. She walks me to the back room, the room in which they are making into a "dark room" for photography classes, she tells me about some shelves that need to be painted for their picture room. Maxine walks out, I pour some black paint and retrieve a paint brush. I began somewhere about eye level on the shelf. I found myself drifting into thought about photography, and how it's always been something I admire. I snap back into reality. I look around realizing that I've painted a good portion of this shelf. I walk into the back room, rinse my container that was once full of black paint and also my brush, say my farewells to Maxine, and head back out into the beautiful Spring day.