Candle Carafe [Sept 2023] get a link to this artwork

green ash, copper
[10" high x 3" diameter]

I made this candle holder from a piece of green ash wood that contained lots of tunnels eaten by insects (perhaps the infamous ash borer?). This adds a lot of visual interest to the wood (my opinion, of course 😝). I used a torch to burn the darker bands into the wood and watercolor paint for the blue coloring. The brown patches formed naturally in the wood.

The copper sleeve serves two purposes – it's aesthetically pleasing and it's a functioning auto-snuffer! Once the wick of the candle burns down below the copper sleeve, the candle's own combustion gases deprive the flame of the oxygen it needs to burn.