5th Annual WINGS, International Juried Art Exhibition
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Congratulations to all the artists of our 5th Annual WINGS!
Thank you to every artist artist who submitted. We are excited to present the art and artists of our 5th Annual WINGS exhibition! This exhibition was open to art of all creatures with wings or capable of flight. Almost every entry focused on birds, so it follows that the exhibition is bird-lover's dream!
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 Christine White.
Awards:Â 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.
BEST OF SHOW
Early Morning Stretch, by Eric Blais 28 x 22 inches, Acrylic
From the artist, "A great blue heron stretching out her wings early in the morning sun."
The skill of this realistic painting is undeniable. What sets this work apart are the abstract elements of art: composition, use of light, and the variation of mark making. There is a sense of depth that does not strictly follow what a camera lense would depict.
The heron is the obvious focus of the painting, without being simply placed in the middle of everything. She's stretching but also drawing and focusing attention. The use of backlight adds to the challenge of creating this painting. The artist used to frame the heron so that she stands out from the background where necessary and so that the different planes and anatomical elements of the bird stand apart as well. The range of mark making here is wide and impressive.
Please take a moment to zoom into the reeds/brush in the lower left of this piece and really take in how many colors and deliberate strokes were used to create that.
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OVERALL RUNNER UP
Lewis's Woodpecker, by Lindsey Sherline 5 x 5 inches, Oil on gesso board
From the artist, "My oil on gesso board painting captures the striking iridescent green and pink plumage of a Lewis’s Woodpecker in flight. Created for the State of the Birds 2026 challenge, the piece highlights this unique, vulnerable species to advocate for the preservation of the dead forest trees they rely on for survival."
The immediacy of the imminent threat that the artist writes about above is portrayed though the use of impasto painting and dramatic lighting. Without knowing the backstory or inspiration, it's clear that something is very wrong and it's a problem right now.
In addition to the painterly style, the color choice for the background is not one of a healthy or happy sky. Even with very little information, there is a sense that something is off in the environment of this woodpecker. Of course, the facial expression of the bird adds another layer animal-human connection through mood.
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ARTIVISM AWARD
A Bird in the Hand, by Nancy Allen 13.25 x 19.5 inches, Colored Pencil on Smooth Bristol Plate
From the artist, "A Golden Eagle about to be released after rehabilitation."
The subtle visual rhyme scheme in this art-activism drawing helps to connect the human-animal to the raptor-animal. Yellow gloved hands grasp yellow taloned feet. The lines on one are wrinkles of a sort and metal protectors on the other, but they relate. The striped shirt just barely visible on the human mimics the striped tag on the eagle, also barely visible. They both act as identifiers of a sort. The dark tones of the eagle blend into the dark pants of the person about to release it back into the wild. We aren't that different, and sometimes a little human intervention can help keep a bird (or een a species) alive.
OVERALL HONORABLE MENTIONS
Congratulations to our Overall Honorable Mention winners, Jani Freimann, Nancy Allen, Christopher Forde, Bianca Blum, Eric Blais, Yanqing Huang, J.M. Brodrick, Johanne Blaquiere, Laara Cassells, Charles Kolodner, and Dayana Stetco.
FINALISTS
Congratulations to our award Finalists, Andre Rubin, Liz Chappie-Zoller, Emilee Lund, Jennifer Robitaille, Stephen Wysocki , J.M. Brodrick, Cher Pruys, Brett Mistak, Bree Stallings, Ester Zonnestein, Lisa Saarela, Michael Potts, Alice Templeton, Dayana Stetco, and Spence Kellum.
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, Kenjiro Moritani, Christopher Rosas, Janet Mandel, Ruth Carroll, Janetta Gee, Angela Morrison-Lock, Brett Mistak, Julie Gowing Hayes, R. Gary Raham, Laara Cassells, Heike Landherr, Allison McClay, Lisa Saarela, and Sarah Drummond.
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 January 2026. After that date, ArtCall automatically archives the pages.
Award Distribution 5th Annual WINGS
Best of Show ($350 cash award)
Overall Runner Up ($150 cash award)
Artivism Award ($50)
Overall Honorable Mentions
Finalists
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.
Finalists 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.
Selected Works are not awarded entries, but they are included in virtual group exhibition that lasts at least one month. There is no set number of Selected Works.
This art exhibition was juried by Sarah Soward, Sharon Eisley, and Christine White.