Curlew SF - Candles

I wandered out of my apartment, en route to the neighborhood coffee shop for my morning cuppa, and discovered a big pile of crap in our driveway. (This is standard operating procedure in San Francisco: we are generous, if lazy, neighbors.) The detritus included an entire box of melted candles. One whiff and I was transported all the way back to grade school, making candles out of milk cartons. Enchanted with the memory, I took the box inside, melted down the wax, and recreated the activity, milk carton and all. The results were awful, but the experience brought my creativity to the surface. On the bottom of some of the candles were stickers from a local artisan called Waxen Moon; out of curiosity, I went to see them, talked candle making for a hour or two, and a few months later, Curlew was born.

Well, yes. I was a ship finish carpenter for many years, first doing bright work on yachts, sailboats and schooners. (Bright work is the refinement, painting and varnishing of teak for exterior ornamentation). Then I moved to the inside of the boat, working as an apprentice for interior carpentry and finish work. My last boat project was the complete restoration of a 64-foot schooner, originally built in 1946.

Both practices are very detail-oriented, requiring seamless fits and an eye for perfection. So in some ways, you could argue that I just switched from wood to wax.

My motto is: if you’re spending your time and energy on something, you had better give it your all. I love the sensory experience. I’m always looking for ways to make color, pattern and fragrance feel fresh. Through exhaustive trial and error, I devised a technique to insert patterns on the outer faces of chunk candles. My inspiration for the design comes from everywhere: 60’s wallpaper, leisure suits, textiles, traffic lights. The larger square 4x4 candles are designed so the outer edges stay intact, creating beautiful glow-through that outlines the pattern and shapes. I love color contrasting, and my girlfriend and I have a lot of fun making fragrances. Our apartment smells really good.

Long before the candles were born, I decided I needed a business name. (Doesn’t everyone?) I was walking on the beach at Fort Funston, and the birds were running everywhere. For such goofy-looking little guys, they sure do have a cool name. So I stole it. (For all you curlews out there: you know I love you. Peace.)

I think we should all be trying to get more joy out of life. I gain a lot of satisfaction from channeling my creative energy into making functional and aesthetically pleasing objects. I hope the candles are as much fun for you as they are for me.