Artist Biography
A native of Texas, Emily Huang received her BA from Harvard University and a PhD from University of California, San Diego. She then spent 20 years working in the field of biomedicine before realizing that she wanted to work in actual fields. A lover of birds and birding, she joined the staff at the Croydon Creek Nature Center in Rockville, MD, where she gained expertise in all things ornithological, including leading bird walks, nest box monitoring, and small raptor handling.
In 2020, Emily became a county coordinator for the 3rd Maryland-DC Breeding Bird Atlas, a 5-year project to document all bird species nesting and breeding in the state of Maryland (and DC), and in 2024 she was elected President of the Montgomery Bird Club. With increasing awareness of the ecological threats to wild birds, Emily began drawing and then painting birds to express both her love and fears for their survival.
Artist Statement
My art grew out of my passion for the study and conservation of wildlife, in particular wild native birds. My first efforts were pen and ink drawings, but when I began to study watercolor, I knew I had found the right medium to express my conception of the beauty, strength, and peril of the avian world.
My inspiration comes from my children, Jacob and Eli. Their constant, happy curiosity turned my heart outward to the natural world – in particular, Eli’s love for animals, color, and movement drew my attention to birds, and Jacob’s genius for artistic expression inspired me to try my own creations. In 2013, our Eli died of a brain tumor at the age of 8 years old, and we’ve been missing him ever since. Watching, helping, and painting native wild birds has helped us stay connected to Eli.
Read about Eli and my bird journey in the May 2021 issue of the MD-DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3 newsletter here (pg. 8).
Emily appeared on Maryland Public Television’s Outdoor Maryland program in a segment about the MD-DC Breeding Bird atlas. Watch the segment on YouTube here. She was elected to serve as Vice-President for the Montgomery Bird Club, a chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society, from 2022-2024. Meet the Vice-President here.
Emily’s bird paintings were on view at Brookside Gardens Art in the Gardens show from April 17 to May 15, 2023.
Beginning May 2024, Emily is President of the Montgomery Bird Club, with currently approx. 500 members. Read the President’s Chats here and here.