Stan Murphy’s body of work tells the story of the Island, craggy faced, thick skinned and strong of heart.

Mr. Murphy moved to the Vineyard from New York city in 1948 at the age of 26. He earned a living any way he could — drawing blueprints at a hardware store, painting houses, clamming.

And he painted, working at his craft until he could build a gallery in 1958.

Beginning Friday, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum pays tribute to Mr. Murphy with a career-spanning exhibit, Stan Murphy at 100, which runs through August 21. There is an opening reception at the museum on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

In a 2001 interview with the Gazette, two years before he died, Mr. Murphy told the reporter he didn’t feel comfortable when he wasn’t working.

“When you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing, you get nervous about it,” he said.

This feeling about his own artistic passion was also the way he felt about his subjects, most often local folk and working folk — watermen, fishermen, farmers, stone carvers.

Today his murals can be seen all over the Island, and for the next few months his work spanning over 60 years can be seen at the museum, located at 151 Lagoon Pond Road in Vineyard Haven.

For more information, visit mvmuseum.org.