Canvas Conversations: Marquin Campbell

Marquin Campbell has been a full time artist for fifteen years, and during that entire time has been needlepointing.  During the summer of 2020, she moved with her husband and two small children to Spain.  While there, she began experimenting on the motifs that would become her initial Needlepoint designs.  

Marquin takes her painting subjects and reinterperates them in a colorful, lively way for her needlepoint canvas designs.  She is currently developing products to be released over the next two years and plans to always have a needlepoint category as a part of her creative business. 

‘I think of all Needlepoint as charms on a charm bracelet: each canvas tells a very personal story.  When all the canvases from a stitcher are amassed, they reveal a unique history from a singular perspective about interests, travels, favorite foods, friendships and family.  For me, Needlepoint is a form of biography and a vivid representation of the stitchers personality.  Each canvas reveals a singular expression of the world through color and shape. It is a deep investment of time and energy and is symbolic of the things each stitcher holds dear.’ 

Shop all Marquin's canvases 20% OFF! 

My 20 Q&A with Marquin are below: 

Favorite Needlepoint Project. Stitching stockings for my children: they are a labor of love and I make sure my children see how long it takes to complete them.  I have told them if they get rid of my stockings, I will haunt them forever!

Needlepoint Wishlist. There is no better place to be than in New York for the Holidays, so the NYC Holiday canvas on the Greystone site has been calling to me! 

My friend Anna owns Evergreen Needlepoint and she designed a ‘Sisters Sisters’ canvas based off of the movie White Christmas.  My sister and I grew up watching the movie annually and have been singing the song to each other for years! 

Dream Stitching Spot. Sitting in Monet’s garden in Giverny, France on a crisp June day with an impressionist-inspired canvas; Sipping on a cappuccino and nibbling a flaky croissant.  

13 or 18 Mesh Canvas. I like stitching for detail, so it is 18 Mesh forever and always! 

Last Book you Read and Liked. A friend told me to read Barbara Kingsolver’s ‘Demon Copperhead’ and it was one of the most surprising books I’ve ever read.  It was so sad, and was beautifully written: it is a book every American should read.  

And I just finished reading ‘Anne of Green Gables’ with my children.  It was one of the books I never read during childhood, and I’m so glad to have read it as an adult! 

Favorite Flower.  Any English Garden Rose: I have been tinkering in our yard and am growing some beautiful David Austin Roses because they are all absolutely gorgeous and so romantic! 

Guilty Pleasure. Every day, I must have a little chocolate! 

On your nightstand. A Sleep mask, Lavender oil, sound machine, current book, and magnesium balm. 

Currently listening to. Tedeschi Trucks Band

Currently Watching. Persuasion, based on Jane Austin’s book, on Netflix was charming and the colors were inspiring.  

If there were more hours in the day I would. Needlepoint (of course!), play more tennis, read more books, and take more adventures with our children! 

Favorite places to shop. Tuckernuck never fails!  For the kids, Vann & Liv always hits the mark! 

Favorite Instagram Follows. @veryrobin_co has always been a favorite for her use of color and creative eye.  @reneegraef is an illustrator I’ve adored since childhood and creates a world for the viewer to fall into. 

Can't leave the house without. My water bottle, phone, GT’s Trilogy Kombucha, Westman Atelier Lip & Cheek Duo, & whatever small Needlepoint canvas will fit into my purse because I’m always stitching something small! 

Coffee or Tea. Coffee and the more the merrier! 

Favorite Holiday to Celebrate. Thanksgiving because it is just about spending time with the ones you love the most and giving thanks for all the good things in life. 

Wardrobe Staples. Elevated Basics: Good American Jeans, layers from Alice Walk, shoes that can be washed from Rothys, and a quality handbag. 

Creative Inspiration. Nothing quite inspires like travel, expansive conversions, and being in nature. I’ve always been a fan of embroidery and quilting so references from Maison Lesage to the quilt my great-great-great-grandmother stitched (and painted) inspire my work.

Best Piece of Advice. A friend and really wonderful businessman once told me, ‘You don’t ask, you don’t get.’ And that has really emboldened me to ask for what I want in every area of life. 

Life Mantra. ‘The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not sustain you.’- Billy Graham.  I always feel so deeply comforted and held when meditating on these words.