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Candles on Fire!

August 23, 2025

Lennidies Montanez, the founder of Candle Nerds, has been making beautiful candles since 2017, and we featured the launch of her unique Evolution Candles series at WMODA. Initially, Nini, as she is known to friends, sold her candles at local crafts markets, but now her work is also receiving accolades and prestigious awards from art galleries and juried exhibitions all over Broward County.

Nini is now recognized as a visionary candle sculptor whose work explores transformation, culture, and identity through the medium of wax. Her evocative Evolution Candles push the boundaries of traditional candle-making—melding artistry, storytelling, and design in bold, contemporary forms.

Nini’s very first Evolution candle was a gift to Louise Irvine in appreciation of all the inspiration WMODA has provided for her visionary designs. It’s not surprising that Nini fell in love with the museum’s collection, as her husband, Luis, is the museum’s logistics and maintenance manager, responsible for all the installations. Nini was particularly excited about the museum’s exhibition of rouge flambé glazes in Red· Fired Arts are Hot! and she made a vibrant candle symbolizing fire for the museum’s founder, Arthur Wiener. The striking candle caught Hunter Franqui's attention during the filming of a recent episode of SOFLO Health on WPLG Local 10.

Nini recently exhibited in the Flavors of the Islands exhibition at the Arts United Gallery, and she was voted the Artist’s Choice Winner in recognition of her distinctive artist voice and contributions to contemporary sculptural art. Her winning exhibit Flor de Sol celebrates Caribbean life at its brightest with bold orange and lime green wax rising and twisting together, like sunlight and nature in motion. This sculpture reflects how we grow—rooted in light, shaped by joy, and powered by the rhythm of island life.

In September, Nini’s Evolution candles will be presented at the Broward Arts Guild Black & White Exhibition, Canvas de Cultura at the Arts United Gallery and Plunge Beach Resort. She continues to showcase her evolving collection at Hollywood Arts Park every third Saturday of the month, connecting directly with the community and inviting audiences to experience the tactile intimacy of her work.

WMODA is also an important ongoing platform for Nini’s work. Her journey into sculptural candle art began with her successful candle business, where crafting handmade candles sparked a deeper curiosity about form, texture, and design. Her original Candle Nerds collection is sold in exclusive containers in the WMODA Museum Shop. A large selection of Nini’s Evolution Candles series is also offered for sale at WMODA in the Studio Collection.  Each Evolution Candle is a one-of-a-kind piece, a living expression of movement and light, carrying its own story of transformation.

In Nini’s words…

“From wax and water, transformation begins. My Evolution Candles are born in motion—shaped by fluidity, shifting layers, and the quiet dialogue between my hands and the material. No molds. No repetition. Each candle evolves naturally, capturing a moment of flow that can never be recreated.

Inspired by the rhythms of music and the essence of the places I visit, my work absorbs sound, movement, and atmosphere, translating them into sculptural forms. What began as a simple candle business grew into an exploration of expression, where wax transcends function and becomes art.”