The Inspiration for Eclipse Candle Company’s “Rustic Leather” Fragrance

As the Fragrance Designer for Eclipse Candle Company, the lion’s share of my job is creating gorgeous fragrances our customers will (hopefully) go gaga over. Add to that, I must have something to appeal to everyone. When it comes to our sense of smell, we’re all unique. One person’s absolute must-have scent is another’s “not my favorite”. For me, the real fun of working with fragrance is the way it’s so often attached to memory and/or emotion. I’ve always enjoyed observing people’s reactions to our fragrances, but it’s especially gratifying when someone closes their eyes and describes a memorable experience.




When we recently decided to add a leather scent to our Classic Fragrances, I knew what it would take for me to be satisfied. It had to reflect a memory of my own. Years ago my best girlfriend, Tami, and I had the great fortune of interviewing an incredible artist for a middle school project. We lived in El Cajon, California and Tami’s mom arranged this exciting meeting. The artist was Olaf Weighorst, also known as “the dean of western artists”, and he was wonderful, humble and kind. When the word “kind” is genuinely deserved, it’s a beautiful thing. Olaf and Mae Weighorst were, in my estimation, kind.



The Weighorsts welcomed Tami, her mother, and I into their home (now relocated to downtown El Cajon as the Olaf Weighorst Museum and Western Heritage Center) and we were soon invited into Mr. Weighorst’s detached studio for our interview. His studio mostly consisted of a relatively small room with a window overlooking an open area where his horses meandered, and gave inspiration. The room was adorned with things of another era…western wares, true and authentic. Among them a beautiful worn saddle, many cowboy hats, one of which was given to him by Ronald Reagan (Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald R. Ford and Ronald Reagan each had Olaf Weighorst creations in their own art collections) and in the corner was an unfinished painting with a material draped over it. Tam and I still remember so much of this interview. We especially recall that when asked about his siblings Mr. Weighorst told us he was, “the last of the Mohicans” which made us chuckle and broke our young hearts. The strongest of my recollections from that experience is the warm rich aroma of leather that seemed to live and breathe in his studio. For me the smell of authentic well-worn leather is forever connected to this Danish immigrant and true cowboy. He had lived an incredible life, shared with the world his tremendous gift, and at eighty-five this modest man still exuded patience for two twelve year old girls fumbling through questions on note cards. This cherished memory is my inspiration for Eclipse Candle Company’s “Rustic Leather” fragrance. I hope it evokes many equally embraced reveries for you and yours.



“Quiet the Mind, Ignite the Senses”



~Tammy Knibbs



Eclipse Candle Company