Masters of Equine Art, International Juried Art Exhibition
- sarahsoward
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 7 minutes ago
Congratulations to all the artists of our first ever Masters of Equine Art! We did not know what to expect for submissions and are floored by the overwhelming quality and creativity of the entries received.
Equine art is the art of horses. We also welcomed submissions of animal species related to horses as well, like zebras.
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
First Frost, by Holly Kavonic 30 x 24 inches, Oils
From the artist, "Â The inspiration for this painting came from a wild mustang in the McCullough Peaks Herd Management Area, Wyoming. I worked from a variety of photographs as references, sketching my final composition onto canvas and used oils as my medium, using many layers of paint to achieve this level of detail."
Zoom in, if you can. Every viewing level of this painting offers a unique experience. At a distance, the sense of wilderness has a mystical or even mythic air. Soft areas of misty light and cool, glowing grasses are a loosely abstract counterpoint to the extreme detail of the horse. Contrast in value scale directs our focus to the mustang's face, full of emotion and story.
OVERALL RUNNER UP
Dominance, by Tim Gillespie
24 x 16 inches, Photography, Canon R6MkII Digital Camera
From the artist, "Two Onaqui horses fighting for dominance."
Every single aspect of this photograph is epic. Nature, wild horses, and photographer came together in a masterful example of timing, skill, and raw power. The composition is visually poetic. The landscape is allowed to become abstract shapes and colors. The dust separates and softens the world around the horses, setting them and their battle apart from the realm of mere mortals. These two are like wild gods at war.
ARTIVISM AWARD
EPOCH I. Gallop’s Echo, by Su-Yeon Pak 68 x 39 in, Fine Art Pigment Print under Acrylic Glass Â
From the artist, "EPOCH. I find inspiration in the connection between nature, ancient civilizations, and the inner reflections of humanity. Just like how early civilizations used cave paintings to express their thoughts and shape their culture, I feel like we're entering a new era of art today. With all these changes happening around us, I hope that modern technology, especially Digital Fine Art, can connect with our fundamental human emotions and provide us with moments of inspiration and introspection."
Usually, our Artivism Award goes to an art work that is using art to speak about animal rights and/or ecological concerns. It seems fitting that this exhibition's Artivism Award goes to someone speaking up for equality regarding an art medium. There was a conversation that happened on one of our art call posts for this exhibition where one or two people were unhappy that we allowed digital art because they considered it to be on a lower rung of a made-up art-ladder hierarchy. In our opinion, art is art. Stunning and incredible works an be made with all manner of media. A stylus is an ancient tool for scratching images into hard surfaces just as much as it is a hyper-modern tool for scratching images onto computer screens. As long as the artwork submitted is the original 2D or 3D art or photography of the submitting artist, we welcome it.
OVERALL HONORABLE MENTIONS
Congratulations to our Overall Honorable Mention winners, Cynthie Fisher, Elise Mahaffie, Dee Elliott, Liz Chappie-Zoller, Carole Andreen-Harris, Christine Obers, Mimi Cernyar-Fox, Skye Lindsay, and Danielle Kirby.
FINALISTS
Congratulations to our award Finalists, Crystal Orlando, Carla Ollwitz, Nancy Allen, Sema Cohen, Mahmood Hayat, Meg Merry, Debra Cepeda, Janet Rawlings, Susan Humphrey, C Tanner Jensen, Alison Mitchener, Kadra Nevitt, Mimi Cernyar-Fox, Regina Free, Suzanne Nielsen, and Rick Unger.
Award Distribution for 3rd Annual Animal Portraiture Open
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 $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, Julie Anna Freund, and Melody DeBenedictis.