Masters of Domestic Animal Art, International Juried Art Exhibition
- sarahsoward
- May 1
- 5 min read
Updated: May 2
Congratulations to all the artists of Masters of Domestic Animal Art 2025! Please enjoy the variety of artistic interpretations of the animals that live and work with us.
The collection of works here features pets, farm animals, and working animals. As always, we are excited to share a variety of styles, including Hyper-Realism, Cubism, Contemporary Fauvism, varying degrees of abstraction, flat Contemporary Painting, metal assemblage, et al.
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, Julie Anna Freund, and Melody DeBenedictis.
Awards: Best of Show, Overall Runner Up, Artivism Award, Overall Honorable Mentions, and Finalists.
Click on an image below to enlarge it.
BEST OF SHOW
Moe's Christmas, by Meg Merry 20 x 16 inches, Colored Pencil
From the artist, " When my cat Moe passed away, I knew I wanted to create a picture honoring his memory. Despite the challenge, I chose to draw him laying in a box with lit-up Christmas lights. It was a favorite tradition of mine to plug them all in every Christmas season, making sure they worked, and Moe would curl up amongst the lights to enjoy the warmth! This photo embodies some of my favorite memories with him."
Even without the artist's description of this hyper-realistic masterpiece, it's clear that this cat is loved. The treatment of the fur, soft reflected light, and care in the rendering of this whisper and roar with devotion.
This is a jaw-dropping example of hyper-realism that goes beyond traditional portraiture to present us with a drawing we could almost cuddle. The composition is unique, and the choice of pixie lights for the predominant light source is daring. Meg Merry rose to the challenge of this piece with grace.
OVERALL RUNNER UP
Professional Napper, by Kathryn Hansen
8.75 x 18 inches, Colored Pencil
From the artist, "Few things in life are as charming as the classic cat loaf! Live is just chillaxing while sunning herself on her cozy cat tree."
We can feel the "Do Not Disturb" vibe emanating from Live, the cat portrayed in Professional Napper. Composition, as well as the cat's posture and ear position, have a lot to do with the tone set here. The choice to forgo color in favor of grayscale with healthy amount of chiaroscuro, makes for a moody and bold piece of art.
We love that the crispness of detail changes as the cat's body recedes into the background. The tight detail in the face helps the viewer focus attention there even though the bright light and stark contrast on the right of the artwork would normally demand more attention. Instead, the interplay of light and shadow throughout the work serve as a way to keep the viewers' eyes moving.
ARTIVISM AWARD
No Greater Gift, by Kathleen Baum 11 x 14 in, Digital Camera Photograph
From the artist, "This photo showcases my most playful and curious rescue cat, Tiger, engaging in one of his usual escapades. Ironically, the image of him hanging over the edge of the refrigerator above the Dickens quote was serendipitous and appropriate. The photo was taken with my iPhone camera in 2024."
This is a piece of art trying to masquerade as a snapshot. We love the informality of this, which seems to speak volumes about the personality of this cat. We also love the various striped patterns playing off each other in design, color, and tone. The barely-there reflection of the photographer frames the Dickens quote and gives the viewer an entry point to the photograph: We are the viewer and also get to pretend to wear the shoes of the photographer and cat-parent. It adds an extra layer of intimacy with Tiger, atop the fridge.
This receives our Artivism Award because it brings to mind the struggles of domesticated animals in shelters, waiting for new homes.
OVERALL HONORABLE MENTIONS
Congratulations to our Overall Honorable Mention winners, Crga Pastel Animalier (Cecile Carrega), Joyce Danko, Juan F. Sepulveda, Rich Brimer, Pascal Wolff, Teresa Wade, Catherine Sonnemann, Jung Ah Oh, and Lael Salaets.
FINALISTS
Congratulations to our award Finalists, Gina-Marie Hammer Joyce Danko, Kendra Achenbach-Warner, Michele Trifiro, Guylaine Ruel, Adelaida Balajadia, Beth Vallieres, Peter Doroh, Susan Humphrey, Molly Mellinger, Patti Miller, Susan Humphrey, Elizabeth Laflamme, Janice Serilla, Heather Olsen, Moriah Lehman, Dawn Pavloski, and Jace Laakso.
SELECTED WORKS
In honor of constructive feedback, we are re-starting our Selected Works section. 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, Crga Pastel Animalier (Cecile Carrega), Michele Trifiro, Andrey Sledkov, Sarah Schoenfeld, Emily James, Audree Urioste, Lael Salaets, Neal Portnoy, Debra Sindt, Jordan Harrell, Lynn Kibbe, Jessie Xu, Heather Olsen, Sophia Meza, Kristin Rodin, Cornelia Boehme, Kate Less-Madsen, Senta Rivera, Patsy Lindamood, and Kathleen Baum.
UPDATE: See more entries!
As a response to feedback from viewers and artists, entries that made it to the final round of judging are now available to view on our art submission partner site: ArtCall.org
These additional images will be available to view through January 28, 2026. After that date, ArtCall.org automatically archives the pages.
Award Distribution for Masters of Domestic Animal Art 2025
Best of Show receives $500 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 $200 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, Mary Kamerer, and Cher Pruys.
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