Seafire Candles
Please call for appointment
Also at specialty shops and galleries, please call for availability:
Seafire Candles are individually cast in marsh mud with whelk and oyster shells found washed up on the beaches of the Virginia coast. These large, handsome candles weight 6-8 pounds and measure 8-10 inches in height. Seafire Candles make a perfect local gift and come with a card describing the process of their making. David is also talented ceramic artist--see Seafire Ceramics.
David Crane’s profession was building and captaining yachts, but with candle-making (and pottery) he has found a second career: “I believe that our beautiful mother Earth is a living entity, and my work is a personal offering to her spirit, which holds sway over my life’s adventure.”
Shells of seaside oyster and lightning whelk form the fringes of Seafire Candles, made by arranging the shells in a pit in marsh mud, then carefully pouring hot wax, in stages, into the aperture (and adding wick). The candle is cooled by the mud overnight and gradually hardens.
Once cooled, the candle is removed, cleaned. and retains the lovely irregular shape of the place that gave it birth. Local designers are enamored of these candles and recommend extending their longevity by using tea lights inside the initial cavity rather than continuing to burn the wick. Find Crane’s candles reliably at the Barrier Islands Center and Lemon Tree Gallery or call for availability.
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