EMMA ASHBY

Born in Ipswich, England, Emma studied at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design in Chislehurst, Kent where she earned a BA (Hons) Degree in Fashion. In 1984 she was accepted into the Royal College of Art in London where she studied Textile Design. Having received her Masters Degree, Emma was invited to work for Jaegar of London as a Knitwear designer. Her other clients have included Aquascutum, London and Missoni, Milan.

Emma emigrated to the United States in 2002 to live in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with her family. In 2007 she helped set up a non-profit organisation that’s just been renamed ‘Restore61’ to provide help for disadvantaged individuals and families on the Seacoast. To help launch and raise funds for Restore61, Emma created a series of artworks and T-shirts that were exhibited and sold in Starbucks, Kaya Jewelry and at Portsmouth Bow Street Fair.

In 2008, with the help of the City of Portsmouth's Cultural Commission Group: 'Art Speak,' Emma gathered a group of artist friends to start 'Art Den' an art community for disconnected young people.

Emma is now pursuing her love for art and is working and exhibiting as a mixed media and encaustic artist, experimenting with oils, collage, fibers and encaustic, drawing from her background in textiles and color and inspired by the beauty of nature near her seacoast home.

Emma was juried into the New Hampshire Art Association in September 2008 and has an art studio at the Button Factory in Portsmouth, NH.

Artist Statement: My art is inspired by the breathtaking beauty of creation. I continue to be amazed by the discovery of often hidden colors, patterns and textures in nature, that seem to change with the shifting light and seasons of New England.