Emil Morhardt

Golden Egret #1, Original Painting

2026

Artist Comments
A great egret's head and curved neck stand out against the warm, shimmering gold-leaf background. Its bright orange bill and dark eye contrast with its soft white plumage. Artist Emil Morhardt shares that he sees these large, striking birds only occasionally, mostly in estuaries near the beach.

About the Artist
Artist Emil Morhardt channels his passion for birds and wildlife into realistic acrylic paintings, portraying them in their natural behaviors, adapted to human environments but living on their own terms. "My goal is to depict animals as free, inquisitive, and interesting as they are in the field," says Emil. He exclusively references his photographs taken with a Canon SLR and a long lens, meticulously capturing hundreds of images and spending hours sorting and processing them to achieve compositions with the desired level of detail. Emil learned watercolor techniques from his father at a young age and developed an appreciation for opaque media from his father's artist friends, who primarily worked with oil paint. Operating in his home studio on a high ridge with an unobstructed north-facing view of the mountains, Emil often sees foxes, bobcats, and roadrunners peering through his glass doors. When not creating art, Emil enjoys birdwatching, botanizing, and hiking to remote locations.

Words that describe this painting: great egret, egret, wading bird, bird, portrait, gold leaf, metallic, profile, gold, animals, modern , acrylic painting, orange

Golden Egret #1
Emil Morhardt
Acrylic painting on stretched canvas
Painting wraps around edges
Varnished and Ready to hang
One-of-a-kind
Signed on front
2026
12 in. h x 12 in. w x 1.5 in. d
1 lbs. 10 oz.