There’s something quietly magnetic about Emma Martin. She speaks the way her work feels: Calm, deliberate and full of space.
With a natural ease and an intuitive calm, Emma Martin invites you into her world without ever needing to raise her voice. Hers is a quiet confidence, one rooted in presence, honesty and a deep trust in the creative process. Whether she’s speaking about her next collection or her morning rituals, Em has a way of making the simple feel sacred and the everyday feel artful.
paper mâché caught up with Em ahead of an upcoming three-month trip to Europe with her family, and the release of her new collection, inspired by her time in Byron Bay.
Our conversation unfolded like much of her life seems to, never rushed and always open. We talked about creativity, her inspiration, travel and the quiet in-between moments that often shape the work more than anything else.
The Byron Bay Collection
To us, the Byron Bay collection feels grounding with a sense of calm, but also light, plus a little bit of fun. Not loud but deeply felt, her work is the kind of painting that you live with, not just look at. The kind that settles into your space and speaks quietly over time.
Like much of her process, Em doesn’t try to force these changes, she lets them arrive in their own time. The Byron works were shaped in that same way: slowly, instinctively, in rhythm with her life. A mix of incense, music, and ocean swims, with long pauses in between. “It’s all kind of intertwined,” she says of her environment and her practice. That sense of flow is everywhere in the work, soft layers, intentional space, pieces that feel like exhaling.
While her recent palette leans into earthy, neutral tones, something bolder may be brewing for Em. “Red,” she says with a smile. “I’ve never really used it before, but it’s been showing up everywhere, I think Europe has something to do with it.” There’s a curiosity stirring, a willingness to shift and stretch into new territory. “Weirdly enough, it’s red. I feel like I’m going to start using it in the Europe series a lot. We’ll see.”
Trusting The Process
When it comes to painting, Em doesn’t believe in rushing or overworking things. Her process is intuitive, built on feeling more than a formula. “Process is everything,” she says. “It’s knowing when to walk away, when to come back and when to let it sit in silence.”
That deep trust in herself has been earned overtime. One moment she returns to is when a stranger walked into her home, saw one of her paintings on the wall and told her she should be selling them. “I remember just trusting her,” Em says. “And from there, it’s been a thousand tiny decisions that brought me here.”
What matters most to her isn’t the final product, it’s the energy behind it. “If someone can walk past a piece in their home and feel what went into it, the thoughts, emotion and inspiration, that’s everything” I don’t think it gets better than that.”
The Art of Slowing Down
Outside the studio, Em’s lifestyle mirrors her creative rhythm. There’s incense burning, music playing, an ocean swim when she can squeeze one in. Mornings always start with coffee and weekends aren’t clearly defined, they blend into long beach walks, family time with her three children and husband, shared meals and a bottle of wine with friends. “It has to have a story,” she says about the bottle of wine, laughing. “That’s a non-negotiable.”
Travel is a big part of her life, not just for the experience but for what it unlocks creatively. “When I travel with my family, sparks fly,” she says. “Even when we lived on our boat in the Whitsundays, there was this feeling of being completely present. Everyone was just…there. It stayed with me.”
That presence has become something of a guide. Whether she’s on the road or in her space at home, Em knows how to tune into herself, to the moment, to whatever’s trying to come through.
Looking Ahead
As her European holiday approaches, she’s not planning too much. She prefers to absorb first, the colours, the textures, the moods, and let them find their way into her work later. “I feel inspired everywhere,” she says. “But travel… it wakes something up in me. I don’t force it. I just let it come.”
For now, a collection rooted in Byron and a season of soaking up all of the stories Europe has to offer for her an her family is what Em is looking forward to. When it comes to her art, she’s excited to gather experiences and create memories that will help shape the Europe-inspired collection set to arrive in early 2026.
For Em, it’s not about being a brand or chasing momentum. It’s about staying close to the feeling, that feeling of being grounded, inspired and fully herself.
And so it is.
The Byron Bay Collection will go live at 7am on the 25th of July and available for 24 hours. A celebration of place, season, and slow creative rhythm. Keep your eyes out for our Emma Martin x paper mâché competition, going live next week.
About Emma Martin –
Emma Martin is based in the Sunshine Coast with her husband and three children, whom she homeschools, weaving creativity into every aspect of their daily life. A self taught artist, Emma’s art is deeply inspired by her family’s slow-travel lifestyle, spending three months at a time in different destinations around the world. Each art release is a reflection of the landscapes, culture and feelings she gathers during these extended stays. Her work captures the rhythm of intentional living, connection and the quiet beauty found in everyday moments abroad.
