A Watchful Great Horned Owl

Great horned owls spend a lot of time sitting and intently watching, rotating their heads to look at whatever interests them, including me, writes Emil. They look particularly distinctive not only because of their huge yellow eyes, and intelligent steady gaze, but the complexity of their facial feathers, says the artist. Morhardt used tiny, isolated brush strokes to evoke his plumage without actually trying to paint individual feathers, then used multiple glazes to add the color patchwork.