ABOUT
THE ARTIST

Hi! I’m Emma Mary Murray.

I grew up mostly in Maine, studied poetry and education at Colorado College, and now live, play, and make art on Mount Desert Island. My weeks include a combination of teaching handwork to K-8 kids, teaching art workshops for adults, doing illustration and marketing projects, stitching, and selling hand-stitched goods both in person at markets and here online.

Aside from making art, I’m into writing, reading, climbing and skiing, my dog Hatchy, and competitive games of Bananagrams. I’m excited about projects that explore the intersections of education, art, writing, and the environment, and am passionate about community and mentorship in the outdoor space as well.

ABOUT THE ART

I make things and up-cycle existing things to combine a love of stitching and drawing with a desire to work toward a more circular economy. My art is inspired by sandstone, quilting, my friends, glaciers, topo lines, outer space, poems, miles, and stories. What a total honor to make art with stories. As we fight for the climate and for each other, little stories of old things brought back to life feel like vital offerings.


Photo: Whitney Whitehouse

FOR PEOPLE
AND PLANET

I value social and environmental justice, and it’s important to me that my art business is rooted in these values.

Whenever possible, I redistribute income from craft fairs or collections to a non-profit or a mutual aid fund in support of people and planet.

Past efforts have included creating art for a raffle for Friends of Acadia, donating 100% of flag proceeds to a local food bank during the height of the COVID pandemic, donating 10% of the Reflection Collection to Slow Factory, and donating 10% of my 2024 holiday collection to Maine Youth Power.

Make sure you’re on my email list to stay up to date on how my art biz is currently helping create the world we want to live in.

SOME FAQs

  • Not right now; I’m working in collections — join the email list to make sure you know when the next one is, and scroll down for more specifics.

  • Yes! Sometimes. I’m supplementing my embroidery work by taking on a limited amount of custom illustrations each month. Email me!

  • It depends. Jackets are usually $300-500+. They can take weeks to stitch! Smaller pieces, like flags, are often in the $75-150 range and can still take many hours to stitch. Custom illustrations also depend, but a small landscape watercolor might be $150-250.

  • If you’re a fellow artist or a small brand that shares values of social and environmental justice, I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Please send me an email.

SOME PRESS

Photos on this page: Emma Forthofer and Whitney Whitehouse.

see past stitching work
see past stitching work