Hi! My name is Emma Fisher.

I’m an illustrator based in San Francisco and New York City.

I write and illustrate stories for curious children and adults. Much of my work engages with the myths and fairy tales I loved as a child, using them as a starting point to explore changes wrought on the body by disability and illness, as well as to stoke awe and wonder at the natural world.

I carry my sketchbook everywhere, drawing equal inspiration from city streets and tree-covered landscapes. My work is rooted in play and experimentation, with an emphasis on texture, line, and character. I construct images entirely by hand, layering printmaking, painting, and collage to nurture unexpected outcomes.

In 2025, I earned my MFA in illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York, receiving the Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for my thesis, an illustrated middle grade novel called The Blackthorn Woods. I graduated from Brown University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in art history and in 2023, completed an advanced certificate in disability studies through the City University of New York (CUNY).

I am currently seeking representation.

Exhibitions

SVA MFA Illustration as Visual Essay “Selections from Thesis Projects,” curated by Cecilia Ruiz at SVA Chelsea Gallery, 2025

dRAW, curated by Carol Fabricatore at SVA Gramercy Gallery, 2025

The Book Show, curated by Riccardo Vecchio and Anna Raff at SVA Gramercy Gallery, 2025

The Human Fly, curated by Viktor Koen at SVA Chelsea Gallery, 2024

Awards

Paula Rhodes Memorial Award, School of Visual Arts, 2025

SCBWI San Francisco/South Emerging Artist Portfolio Award, 2025