by Arlene Wright-Correll

This weekís Kentucky artist is Mark J. Klimczak

Many of us buy candles for our own use or for gifts, rarely ever thinking of anything about them except for the color and perhaps the fragrance they may emit.

Candles come in all shapes, sizes, colors, scented and unscented. Today most of them are made by machines and there are still people who handcraft them as hobbies.

Occasionally one comes across something really special in the craft marketplace and that is what I found when I met Mark Klimczak, a Kentucky candle maker with an environmental soul!

Mark is the creator and founder of Old Louisville Candlemaker and his slogan is “Illumination the Hearts of America, one candle at a time”. His credo is working with the environment not against it! Mark is a native of Michigan who moved to Louisville in 1991.

Mark is a true artist in love with his craft whose candle making interest began as a child when his parents gave him a small candle making book, some string, crayons and several boxes of canning paraffin back in 1965.

Because Mark, as a child, had a limited income and was always running out of wax he started hounding family members and friends for their wax remnants. This became the beginning of a successful recycling program that has developed over the past 30 years which has led Mark into the experimentation process and technique of cleaning and purifying wax material thus rendering them into a useful and environmentally friendly material.

Finally in May 2005 one process yielded the result that hoped for, a wax that burns cleaner than the material it originated from. This new wax is called “Two Illume”. Meaning twice lit twice burned and now all of Markís unique freestanding candles are carefully hand-crafted from the recycled “Two Illume” wax thus giving them the artistic appearance and burning quality that sets them apart from other candles.

Mark creates all his candles at his studio in Historic Old Louisville at 1629 South Third Street #3. He works with local retailers who have become collection points for paraffin remnants including several churches and private organization who have in-house only collections. These are not open to the general public.

What this writer likes best about Markís beautiful candles is that they are handcrafted in small batches using Markís proprietary “TwoIllume” recycled wax which reduces the amount of solid waste sent to the landfills and secondly their candles are better for the air quality since their wax is made from wax remnants which burn cleaner than paraffin.

I also like the fact that no additives or chemicals are added when being crafted and Mark adds no color enhancing chemicals. There are also no un-natural elements used to increase scent throw and no chemical wax hardeners. Since there are no additives to increase burn time, Markís candles have an extended burn time that is created with his natural wax process. His candles fragrances are essential oil based and project a cleaner scent throw and finally only metal free, untreated cotton wicking is used, thus allowing Mark to create a candle that is functional, unique and beautiful.

The buyers of Markís candles, including myself, like the fact that he is working with the environment and not against it.

He has created amazing scents called Afterglow*, Blue Earth*, Celestial Water*, Breathe*, Chocolate, Citrus Pine, Ice, Fig Aphrodisia*, Miracle, Tangerine Evergreen and Vanilla Coconut Brulee. *Denoted fragrances developed exclusively for the Old Louisville Candlemaker and are not available elsewhere. Each of these scents are complexly created and to give you an example we will give you a description of Afterglow* which emits warm notes of vanilla and musk that are complimented with a blend of argentine lemon, bergamot, Bulgarian lavender, cinnamon leaf, clove leaf, clary sage, cypress, geranium and ginger.

Buying one of Markís candles is akin to buying a fine wine! Currently these wonderful candles can be purchased at Amazing Grace, Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, and Lifecycles Gift Shop, all of Louisville and Working Studios, Midway, KY. His candles are also selling in Northeast Michigan, and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; both have launched the paraffin recycling program.

In June, 2004, Markís candles were juried by the Kentucky Arts Councilís Craft Marketing Program which is a division of the Commerce Cabinet. All of his candles proudly bear the “Kentucky Crafted” symbol which represents and assures you of the highest quality, originality and design.

Mark also offerís a very unique service which candle repair and refill for those of you who have special candles that mean a lot to you. Donít discard them; just call Mark at 502 637 8520. Also coming up in the future are a limited number of distributorships for local gift shops who want to stock these beautiful and very affordable candles. For further information you can call Mark at the same number.

To view all upcoming arts and crafts workshops in your area of KY please go to http://www.learn-america.com/?page_id=1740

(Contact Arlene Wright-Correll at 270 524 9567 or email her at askarlene@scrtc.com  if you want to be next weekís column of Whoís Who in KY Artís and Crafts©)