We've been making candles that look like tree stumps for as long as we've been making candles. It's how we accidentally started a business. It's how people got to know us. It's really what defined Standard Wax for a long time.
When we set out to develop a new collection, it was more out of necessity than an inspired artistic journey. The Forest Collection requires a lot of labor. And a lot of time. And not everyone on earth is obsessed with candles that look like logs. We knew we needed something simpler that would suit many tastes but still be a beautiful, ceramic piece of art you'd be proud to reuse when the candle burned down.
Suddenly though, what started as necessity turned into a fun process of artistic development, full of happy accidents and tragic meltdowns.
See what Standard Wax co-founder and super talented artist Andrew King has to say about creating the Signature Collection:
How did you come up with the simple shape for the the Signature Collection? Was it a long process with many rejected ideas, or did it come to you in a dream?
This design was conceived from a previous attempt to make a clean and simple container inspired by modern art and architecture that we could cast (create molds and make the pieces that way). Originally we wanted this to be a testament to the ceramic casting process by keeping clean mold lines as part of the design (like a cup that is fused together down the middle). However, the initial attempt was SO not good and we ended up with a more simplified version which is what we have now. The use of color was a complete last minute accident (literally hours before a photoshoot). Multiple versions of glazed containers went horribly wrong - half dipped, painted on, etc... We randomly tried the color just on the inside and fell in love! It couldn't be more perfect.
What inspired the color choices for the pop of glaze on the inside?
We wanted to find inspired colors that stemmed from our brand and our sense of adventure. The red was derived from the red logo icon for Standard Wax. The mustard was inspired by a morning hike in South Mountain park when the sunlit hit the buildings downtown in just the right way to reflect beautiful yellow light. We also knew in advance that we wanted grey because it is one of both Samantha and my favorite colors and ties into the concept of the "modern" feel of the big city. All three look great together, and can be interpreted in so many ways, like a vibrant sunset with grey clouds or your favorite painting.
What was the hardest part of developing a new collection? What was the most fun?
The hardest part of the development process is always the unforeseen pressures - deadlines that creep up unexpectedly and create stress in glaze testing, container perfection etc. I think we went through eight million red glazes before we found the perfect one, and that's time consuming and frustrating. We are getting better at giving ourselves enough time for product development but there is always room to improve for the next round (aka spring 2015). The most fun part is definitely the reward of seeing all the work (and there is A LOT) coming to life - especially in gorgeous photos!
Here's a peek at some of the gorgeous photos we shot of the new Signature Collection with Phoenix photographer Kym Ventola. She's a photo rockstar.
