4th Annual WINGS, International Juried Art Exhibition
- sarahsoward
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Congratulations to all the artists of 4th Annual WINGS! We have some incredible artwork for you to enjoy. The majority of entries and, therefore, the majority of accepted works, are of birds. We do have a few other animal types represented here and in the collection of works that made it to the final round of judging (link below).
The awarded works and selected works shown here are dynamic, well-composed, and exhibit fine skill within the artist's chosen style. Each one gives us some sense of what it is to have wings or to fly. Sometimes this is done through metaphor, as with our Best of Show, Wren in Art, by Rebecca Korth.
It is the goal of Wild Heart Gallery to support and promote animal and wildlife artwork in a wide range of genres and styles. Artwork for this exhibition was selected by jury based on theme, originality, skill, and quality of work. Jurors were Sarah Soward,  Sharon Eisley, and Rebecca Findlay.
Awards: Best of Show, Overall Runner Up, Artivism Award, Overall Honorable Mentions, and Finalists. There is also an art section of Selected Works.
Click on an image below to enlarge it. These are worth enlarging. The detail in each, wherever it lands on the Realism-to-Abstraction scale, is captivating.
BEST OF SHOW
Wren in Art, by Rebecca Korth 16 x 20 inches, Oil
From the artist, "I came up with the idea for this piece after a collector graciously gifted me his extra Birds in Art catalogs throughout the early years of the exhibition. I paired the catalog from the year I was born, with all the catalogs in which my work has been accepted. The 13 on the camera represents how old I was when I flew out west for the first time to paint with my aunt. Now as a professional artist, I have created well over 1,000 paintings of still life with birds."
Wren in Art, by Rebecca Korth, is a hyper-realistic painting of a wren perched atop a vintage Polaroid camera. The camera is flanked by wren sculptures. All of this is sitting on top of a stack of Birds in Art exhibition catalogs.
There is a lot more going on in this painting than what initially meets the eye.
In addition to the artist's description and personal story above, there is a multi-level story of birds in art in this painting.
The artist's painting of the wren
The sculptures of birds
The artist's painting of the sculptures of birds
The camera alluding to bird photography or photo reference used in creating art of birds
The exhibition catalogs of one of the most renowned bird-themed art competitions, Birds in Art, which contain photos of the art of birds
The reflection of all of that, most of which we see, the rest we imagine which brings me to the last point
The image of birds, and now this painting, that we hold in our minds (that help us finish the reflection and that we carry with us)
The layers of artistic experience gifted to us in this piece are deep.
OVERALL RUNNER UP
Morning Delicacy, by Karla Mann
18 x 14 inches, Oil on a prepared masonite board
From the artist, "This is a barn owl perched on an old farm door. I was inspired by the beautiful markings on the wings of the barn owl. I loved the challenge of painting the detail of the barn owl and the old weathered door."
This hyper-realistic painting of a barn owl enjoying a snack lets the viewer in on a quiet moment. The chiaroscuro lighting warms the owl's colors in contrast to the wood and metal of the barn. It feels alive in its solitude and focus. Even though this is a private moment where the owl is doing something we don't often see in art (or maybe in life either), it doesn't feel like an intrusion. The artist holds the viewer just ar enough away through scale, lighting, texture, and the directionality of the rotting and broken barn door.
It takes remarkable skill and patience to create the detail on the owl's wing while maintaining the light feeling of the feathers. It's possible to get lost in the lights and darks of the feathers as they alternately come forward and recede.
ARTIVISM AWARD
Freedom, by Frances Murphy 72 x 28 inches, Commercial and hand-dyed fabrics and fibers; fusible and machine applique; machine quilted by artist
From the artist, "We focus on our friend the bird and her attempt to find her "freedom". She has found a way to escape her cage, but the weather is stormy and it takes all of her courage to fly out of the open window. Her journey doesn't get any easier as she flies over the noisy, dirty city with its confusing lights, noise and hidden dangers. She flies past a polluting old power plant, dodging belching steam and polluted air. Finally, she arrives in "Paradise" with its clean, fresh air, wide open spaces and beautiful clear water. Her friend has already arrived and has been waiting for her. Now she can live her life to its full potential which to me represents total freedom."
This dramatic artwork is a story of the plight of birds told in four panels and created entirely out of quilting materials and techniques.
The story, outlined best by the artist, above, is what makes this an Artivism piece. The moving use of simple shapes, patterned fabric, and emotion-driven color choices are what makes it the Artivism Award winner.
The first panel brings up ideas of "the gilded cage" that isn't a bad life, per se, but it's still life inside a cage. The colors and stitching are relatively calm, but there's no denying that the implications of being cages are massive as the cage takes up most of the frame. The second panel is all darkness with painful pieces of light, zigzag stitching of suffering and confusion in the sky as the bird flies the wrong direction (i.e. not toward the panel where it becomes free). The third frame is a Bauhausian factory in tortuous complementary colors, complete sulfur-colored sky. The last panel is a breath of fresh air in color, composition, ordered-but-fluid stitching, and imagery.
It's a refreshing take on a story of rebirth through trial and tribulation, told with thread and birds.
OVERALL HONORABLE MENTIONS
Congratulations to our Overall Honorable Mention winners, Emily Tull, Jacqueline Claudet Mitterer, Ariana Zimmermann, Jenna Ramer, Rebecca Korth, Naser Alrifaei , Christophe Drochon, Cher Pruys, Kelly Singleton, Chandra Brooks, and Susan Munderich.
FINALISTS
Congratulations to our award Finalists, Megan O'Connor, John Guiseppi, Ren Javier, Karla Mann, Brenda Martin, Ashley Wittling, Durwood Coffey, Paula Wiegmink, Nanda Hoep, Helen Hobbs, Barry Levin, Sanjukta Acharya, Chris Brain, Jerry Tortorella, and Simon Treseder.
SELECTED WORKS
This section is for works that are selected for the virtual exhibition here on wildheartgallery.com but are not awarded.
Congratulations to our Selected Works artists, Paula Wiegmink, Lee Bell, Carol Hansen, Debora Soule, Megan O'Connor, Danna Tartaglia, Kayla Griffin, Kathryn Hansen, Cristina Martins, Nicholas Kanozik, Nicky Shelton, Christophe Drochon, Durwood Coffey, Kim Fortin, Ann Hart, and Helen Hobbs.
SEE MORE ENTRIES
The entries that made it to the final round of judging are also available to view on our art submission partner site: ArtCall.org
These additional images will be available to view through approximately August 2026. After that date, ArtCall automatically archives the pages.
Award Distribution for 4th Annual Wild Art Open
Best in Show receives $350 cash award and promotion on the following: Art Week, Wild Heart Gallery’s (WHG's) growing social media and other online media channels, WHG's eNewsletter, and WHG's home page (for duration of the exhibition).
Overall Runner Up receives $150 cash award and promotion on Wild Heart Gallery’s (WHG's) growing social media/other online media channels and WHG's eNewsletter and inclusion in a virtual group exhibition that lasts at least one month.
Artivism Award receives $50 cash award and promotion on Wild Heart Gallery’s (WHG's) growing social media/other online media channels and WHG's eNewsletter and inclusion in a virtual group exhibition that lasts at least one month.
All award recipients receive promotion on Wild Heart Gallery’s (WHG's) growing social media/other online media channels and WHG's eNewsletter and inclusion in a virtual group exhibition that lasts at least one month. All award recipients also receive an award certificate, emailed as a PDF to the email address used for the submission process.
This art exhibition was juried by Sarah Soward, Sharon Eisley, and Rebecca Findlay.