Masters of Wildlife Art, International Juried Art Exhibition

Congratulations to all the artists of Masters of Wildlife Art 2025! This is our third Masters of Wildlife Art virtual exhibition, and it is every bit as stunning as the last two. An extra congratulations to Carel Brest van Kempen whose work won both Best of Show and Overall Runner Up.

We received entries from all over the world and are excited to show you this juried collection of wild animal art. This virtual exhibition includes illustrative works, abstraction, hyper-realism, contemporary art, and some very poignant and dramatic pieces. We hope that you enjoy it.

Best of Show
Biophilia II, by Carel Brest van Kempen
24 x 18 inches, Acrylic on Illustration Board, above.

From the artist, "A Tapanuli Orangutan eyes a Great Flying Lizard in a Sumatran forest."

There is both a distance and a closeness in this piece. The orangutan and the lizard seem to eye each other, their gazes just missing our own. And yet, it feels as if we are also being considered. The vertical tree trunk and limb along with the orangutan's pose keep us from getting too close. The viewer is both drawn in by the gaze and pushed back by the composition. It's an enticing painting.

The choices on where to go all in with detail versus abstracting away reality into shapes of color leads us through the painting. We are told where to focus, but rewarded with gems of subtle painterliness (and a jungle bird) if we look away from the main characters in this piece.

And bravo on creating so much mood through lighting and color!

Overall Runner Up
Riparian Rashomon, by Carel Brest van Kempen

Artivism Award
The Hollow Crown, by Kat Stachura

Overall Honorable Mentions
Holly Kavonic, Maryam Fardinfard, Morgan Cameron, Karolina Marcol, John Serediuk, Heather Mitchell, Kim Fortin, Kathryn Hansen, and Theresa Novak

Finalists
Lynn Kibbe, James Miller, Daved English, Renny Spencer, Sarah Schoenfeld, Catherine Sonnemann, Cher Gauthier, Milan Hristev, Amanda Tankersley, Douglas Aja, Morgan Cameron, Shay Davis, Karla Mann, Caleb Carr, Peter  Mathios, Susan Wehrman, and Christopher Baker