Lance
Bowser
Candles
MILL POND CANDLES
Making I it make candles from recycled wax.
I find old, sometimes half-used
candles at yard sales, consignment
shops and the like. I melt
them down and pour the wax into
molds to make new, better candles.
The artistic end comes into play
with the way I combine colors and
add fragrances to personalize each
one. I also add thematic objects into
the wax—like leaves for an autumnal
look or candy hearts for Valentine’s
Day—to make my candles very
gift-worthy.
Inspiration
I’m really inspired by the colors
around a pond, mostly in colder
weather, with what lies beneath the
ice. My company is called Mill Pond
Candles because I grew up on a mill
pond—it’s a place where the colors
can be really intense and really
muted at the same time, kind of like
candle wax. I try to bring that out in
the work I do.
The tricky part
Being careful. Candle making is not
for the absent-minded. You’re working
with hot liquid, after all — it
requires diligence and concentration.
Other gigs
I’m also a musician. I have a band
with my twin brother called the
Del Zorros. We play original pop
music—like the Beatles.
Try it yourself
My big thing now is making ice
candles. If you pour wax over ice
cubes, you get an incredible looking
candle. The technique was popular
in the 70s, and you don’t see it a lot
now—partly because it’s a vintage
look, and partly because they’re fragile
and difficult to ship. They’re not
long burning, but after they burn
down you can use the outside shell
as a votive holder.
24
WBM november 2011
handmade/wax
DIY
Love it, find it, buy it
I create mostly for friends and
family, but I always have some
of my work for sale at The
Eclectic consignment shop
on Castle Street. And I have
been known to set up a table
on Castle Street to sell a few
myself.