Welcome to the Candlemaker’s Diary, where I will talk about candles, candle- making, and other things that might cross my mind during this time of quarantine.
Firstly–about candles and the invitation to settle the chattering mind: In my life I have encountered a few works of art that have reached out and invited me into a space of quiet contemplation. Though these pop-up meditations have brought comfort and peace over the years, they’ve been rare visitations compared to the homely, every-day feeling of calm that a candle– perhaps a pillar candle in a cozy room, perhaps one of Shaun’s hour-long meditation candles– can kindle in me–and you—without any effort save the striking of a match.
So to the candles pictured here: Finding a source of those funky curve-stem martini glasses, I decided to fill them with black wax to enhance their feeling of off-centeredness. I felt they were perfect for lighting when in an irretrievably horrible mood, so I called them “Wilda’s Agony Candles”. Later I softened the “Agony” to “Adagio,” referencing the feeling of two tango dancers. In the middle is another monochrome beauty, a stenciled Mandala candle of pure, filtered paraffin (yes, paraffin). We burn them at our dinner table and they glow with a diffuse transparency and no soot, either in the air or the wax pool. Finally, at right is a solid black “spell candle” for the witches and warlocks among us wishing to create beneficial spells while in quarantine.
Today we are closed, and tomorrow—will happen of its own accord. In the meantime we are striving to add our handmade stock to our e-commerce site though the current situation causes things to move slowly.
