Amenia artist repurposes discarded glassware for sustainable candles

AMENIA — A local artist is repurposing discarded glassware as vessels for handcrafted candles, blending sustainability with creative expression through her small business, Underdog’s Revival Candle.

Underdog’s Revival Candle is the home-based workshop of Emma Berley, an artist who has expanded her practice into candle-making using natural ingredients and repurposed vessels.

“I became obsessed with making candles,” Berley said during a studio tour on Wednesday, April 22. She began the learning process in 2020, she recalled, before moving with her family to Amenia in 2023.

What sets the candle company apart is devotion to artistic expression that also sees possibilities in items that have been devalued or discarded, returning them to usefulness in the form of candles.

“The first step is to collect the glassware,” Berley explained, citing likely sources such as thrift shops, yard sales and auction sites.

“There are tons of vessels out there in the world,” Berley said, adding that intriguing containers can also be created using a glass cutter on wine and beer bottles. She also repurposes vintage china, pressed glass and cut glass — items no longer widely used in modern homes.

Beyond the containers, candle colors and fragrances are natural. Berley said that she avoids synthetic fragrances, often handcrafting her own using lavender, citrus and vanilla beans, having learned early on that commercial vanilla extract cannot be used in wax because of its flammable alcohol content.

Berley grows many of the herbs used for her candles in her home garden.

“I want local people to come and pick up the candles,” Berley said, offering a 20% discount for customers who order online and choose pickup.

“I want to get the marketing and business side going,” Berley said. “I could sit and make candles, but how do I market them?”

Plans for the future may include teaching the art, especially around holidays, she said.

“Making candles is not that simple,” Berley said. “You have to know what wick goes with what container,” she added as something learned from experience. Also, she has learned that wax with added fragrance does not reheat well.

“Sometimes, I just need to discard rather than re-melt,” she said.

Berley’s workshop studio is located at 4942 Route 22, next to the former location of Tent. Berley resides on site, along with her husband, Joe, and their daughter Raina.

To learn more about Underdog’s Revival Candle and see the offerings, visit www.underdogcandles.store or on Instagram @underdogsrevivalcandles.