Emil Morhardt
Santa Barbara, California
Artist Emil Morhardt expresses his passion for birds and wildlife through realistic acrylic paintings. "I photograph them in the wild and at wildlife recovery centers and use these images to capture individual birds’ personalities," says Emil. At a young age, he learned to paint from his father, an art teacher and early California watercolorist, developing both technique and an appreciation for opaque media through his father’s artist peers. In 1980, Emil began his art career painting landscapes of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Eastern Sierra, where he grew up. He earned a BA in Zoology from Pomona College and a PhD in Environmental Physiology and Ecology from Rice University, later moving to Santa Barbara in 2011 to teach Environmental Biology at Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges. After retiring in 2016, he dedicated himself fully to painting from his home studio. Perched on a high ridge, his studio offers an unobstructed north-facing view of the mountains behind Santa Barbara, where foxes, bobcats, and roadrunners occasionally approach the glass doors as deer and coyotes pass by.
Artist Statement
I live on the Pacific Coast in Santa Barbara, California, one of the world’s best places for observing birds. My artistic journey centers on photographing birds in their natural habitats and at wildlife recovery centers, using these images as the foundation for lifelike paintings. I strive to capture the distinct personalities of individual birds, portraying them as they move through their daily lives, often adapted to human environments but still entirely on their own terms. Birds may ignore me after I have been still for a while, while others will come close and peer into the camera, revealing their curiosity and presence.
My artistic goal is to paint birds as free, inquisitive, and compelling as they are in the field. I began making and selling paintings around 1980, starting with landscapes of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Eastern Sierra, and the high desert where I grew up. My father, an early California watercolorist and art teacher who shared my name, introduced me to watercolor techniques, while his artist friends broadened my appreciation for oil and other opaque media. In 2011, I moved to Santa Barbara and shifted my focus to birds, inspired by their abundance and accessibility here. After retiring in 2016 from my role as Professor of Environmental Biology at Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges, I have devoted myself fully to photographing and painting birds, which I continue to do with great enthusiasm.
My artistic goal is to paint birds as free, inquisitive, and compelling as they are in the field. I began making and selling paintings around 1980, starting with landscapes of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Eastern Sierra, and the high desert where I grew up. My father, an early California watercolorist and art teacher who shared my name, introduced me to watercolor techniques, while his artist friends broadened my appreciation for oil and other opaque media. In 2011, I moved to Santa Barbara and shifted my focus to birds, inspired by their abundance and accessibility here. After retiring in 2016 from my role as Professor of Environmental Biology at Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges, I have devoted myself fully to photographing and painting birds, which I continue to do with great enthusiasm.
Artist Background
Pomona College
Bachelor of Arts, 1964
Rice University
Doctor of Philosophy, 1968