The Art of Animals 2026, International Juried Art Exhibition
Congratulations to all the artists of 2026's The Art of Animals!
Thank you to every artist artist who submitted. We are excited to present this year's exhibition of The Art of Animals. It is a series of brilliant representations of the nature of animals.
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 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
Right of Dominion, by Kim Chase 30 x 40 inches, Acrylic on canvas
From the artist, "Power in the wild is rarely graceful. It is earned, defended, and constantly challenged. Right of Dominion captures a defining moment between two wild Salt River mustang stallions locked in a struggle for dominance. Dust erupts around them, transforming the landscape into an abstract storm of earth and motion, while their bodies collide in a raw contest of strength, instinct, and survival. Beyond the physical struggle lies the complex social order of the herd—where leadership is challenged, authority established, and balance maintained.
"Through the tension of their encounter, I wanted to evoke something universal: the instinct to persevere, the cost of leadership, and the relentless force of nature."
This is roiling with the passion, drama, and vitality of wild horses. The textures are caucaphous in a way that feeds the painting. Smooth, rough, flat, deep, shiny, and matte all offset each other without overwhelming the focus of the painting. Instead, all of that chaos is balanced toward the common goal of the painting. The way the two horses merge into each other and split into their separate identities and compositional elements hints at Surrealism, reinforcing that Kim Chase's manipulation of scale is intentional and measured.
OVERALL RUNNER UP
Sentinel, by Holly Kavonic 20 x 20 inches, Oils
From the artist, "This painting was inspired by a recent trip to Yellowstone National Park. I spent a lot of time observing a band of pronghorn, waiting patiently for the perfect shot while the sun slowly set. As it turned out, I used multiple background references from the photos I took, but needed a more detailed reference for the pronghorn himself, which was kindly provided by photographer Ryan Hoeft. I am delighted with the lighting and how it all fit together after 2 months of hard work."
If light were a color, it would be this painting. The shadows are a light flavoring of paint, giving the middle values room to spread and hold depth within a contained palette. The brights and highlights are intentional in the composition, framing and directing. Depth and form exist at multiple levels throughout.
All of that comes together to create an instant of calm held in suspense. Something caught that pronghorn's attention, and it shows all the way down to muscle tension thanks to Holly Kavonic's impeccable attention to detail.
ARTIVISM AWARD
FEROCIOUS GRACE: Mother Opossum and Joeys, by Yemil Mejias 19 x 25 x 3 inches, Wood, acrylic paint, parts of vacum, knob caps, metal, computer parts
From the artist, "This artwork is my direct response to [Wild Heart Gallery's] call for the true nature of animals. It depicts a mother opossum carrying her joeys on her back. It honors grace in the delicate balance of how she carries her entire future, power in a body rebuilt from discarded plastics and e-waste that now serves as her armor, ferocity in her open grin - not as aggression, but as maternal protection - and her unapologetic animal-ness.
"This is not a cute, idealized animal. This is a resilient, nocturnal marsupial, often misunderstood, showing her most real and powerful state: motherhood as survival. Her true nature is to persist."
"Unapologetic animal-ness" is the perfect descriptor for this piece. These are wild animals in various senses of the word. Each of them is exciting to look at, with their own personality and possible backstory. There's a playfulness to the piece that at once hilarious and poignant due to the message.
OVERALL HONORABLE MENTIONS
Annarine Burger Mike Hartman Dunja Tessarek Kim Chase Christy Lynn Greene Elizabeth Ricketson Nanda Hoep Edward Corpus Brian Jones Jacquelyn Giuffre Donna Prentice
Congratulations to our Overall Honorable Mention winners, Annarine Burger, Mike Hartman, Kim Chase, Dunja Tessarek, Christy Lynn Greene, Elizabeth Ricketson, Nanda Hoep, Edward Corpus, Brian Jones, Jacquelyn Giuffre, and Donna Prentice.
FINALISTS
Tanya Finch Christopher Durant Anna Smeda Sahasa Marina Perosevic Helen Turkdogan Natasha Lazareva Rachel Knoester Donna Prentice Bailey McCoy Mirelle Vegers Mahmood Hayat Nanda Hoep Bailey McCoy Chris Dane Brita Seifert
Congratulations to our award Finalists, Sahasa, Christopher Durant, Helen Turkdogan, Natasha Lazareva, Tanya Finch, Rachel Knoester, Anna Smeda, Donna Prentice, Brita Seifert, Mahmood Hayat, Mirelle Vegers, Bailey McCoy, Chris Dane, Nanda Hoep, Marina Perosevic, and Bailey McCoy.
SELECTED WORKS
Agnieszka Leppek Agnieszka Leppek Lindsey Sherline Brian Jones Sahasa Lindsay Adams Kat McDonough Scot Forrider Chad Schuety
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, Scot Forrider, Lindsay Adams, Chad Schuety, Agnieszka Leppek, Lindsey Sherline, Brian Jones, Sahasa, and Kat McDonough.
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 October 2027. After that date, ArtCall automatically archives the pages.
Award Distribution for The Art of Animals 2026
Best of Show ($350 cash award)
Overall Runner Up ($175 cash award)
Artivism Award ($75)
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 $175 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 $75 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 and Sharon Eisley.
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