HOWL, the Art of Dogs 2026, International Juried Art Exhibition
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
Updated: May 1
Congratulations to all the artists of HOWL, the Art of Dogs 2026!
The Art of Dogs encompasses more than animal portraiture. It revels in personality, tone, purpose, joy, and expression. There is an overarching theme of connection here as well. We hope you enjoy this moving collection of canines, mostly domesticated but also a little wild.
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 Lynn Kibbe, Sarah Soward, and Sharon Eisley.
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.
BEST OF SHOW
Forever a Pack, by Morgan Cameron 18 x 24 inches, Oil on panel
From the artist, "Forever a Pack depicts a bonded, real-life family of dogs, two of which had passed before this painting was made. They stand side-by-side, remaining timeless, ageless, and one unit, together for all time."
The way dog lovers honor and show devotion across time and possible planes of existence is often emotionally moving and intellectually stimulating. Forever a Pack uses painterly moments to connect and communicate the unity, life, love, and loss with elegant simplicity. Each dog has their own personality while being in confluence with the others. The hints of hues in the neutrals create a vibration of warm and cool that creates more interest and adds depth.
OVERALL RUNNER UP
Hope, by Peggy Wilkinson 30 x 20 inches, Oil on Artefex canvas panel
From the artist, "I love to paint dogs doing what they were bred to do and try to capture the silent communication between different species."
This piece could be rife with symbolism or as straightforward as two animals looking at each other can be. That choice for the viewer to decide the level of symbolism makes this piece more impactful. The artist's choice to blur the grass/ground between the sheep and the dog seems like an invitation to infer meaning but could as easily be accepted as a compositional choice for the sake of directing focus.
ARTIVISM AWARD
Greyt Couch, by Helen Coulter 50 x 90 inches, Acrylic on stretched canvas
From the artist, "Greyhounds, fast, elegant, beautiful and lazy. Masters of the sport of couch potatoes. I wanted to show that greyhounds make wonderful pets, that they are worthy of adoption and a second chance at a life after racing."
For the Artivism side of things, the artist has the message covered.
For the art review side of things, let's rave about non-standard chiaroscuro, how the couch's highlights frame the greyhound, and the attention to hue in all that beautiful darkness.
OVERALL HONORABLE MENTIONS
Congratulations to our Overall Honorable Mention winners, Eniko Orban, Jenny Milwid, Wendy Evans, A Debra Reich Schwalm, Ray Hunter, Jadyn Murvine, Wendy Evans, Jani Freimann, Bonnie Ann Glenn, and shauna stiles.
FINALISTS
Congratulations to our award Finalists, Cory Spraker, Skylah Saenz, Róbert Sándor, Natasha Lazareva, Lindsey Jade, Keith Bennett, Karen Pidgeon, HILARY McSherry, Jasmine Tondryk, Pam Spielberg, Paige Weber, Joanne Tompkins, Leighann Foster, Stevie Newton, Kim Vickrey, Patsee Ober, and Bonnie Ann Glenn.
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, Elizabeth de Broise, Janet Schuler, Lisa Bryant, Caitlyn Pelletier, Dana Hasselschwert, Kathy Servian, Bee Nicketta, Joe Weatherly, Margarita Stantchevski, Morgan Cameron, Kaeti Hinck, Leighann Foster, and Emily Gibbs.
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 HOWL, the Art of Dogs 2026
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 Lynn Kibbe, Sarah Soward, and Sharon Eisley
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