A donkey portrait that went viral on Facebook has earned Northumberland watercolour artist Katherine Elliott a place in the ING Discerning Eye 2026 exhibition at London’s Mall Galleries.
Her painting, ‘Kind Eyes’, was chosen by art lawyer and collector Jon Sharples, one of six independent selectors. The panel also included actor Hugh Bonneville, artist and scientist Jasmine Pradissitto, portrait artist Kelvin Okafor, culture journalist Martin Robinson and Financial Times art market columnist Mel Gerlis.
From more than 6,800 entries, over 750 artworks by more than 550 artists were selected for the exhibition, which showcases work across painting, drawing, sculpture, photography and other media.
For Katherine, who works under the name Whisperings of Art, the selection marks a milestone in a journey sparked by the same little donkey.
“When I shared ‘Kind Eyes’ in an art group on Facebook last year, it unexpectedly went viral, receiving nearly 90,000 likes and more than 4,500 shares,” she says. “It led to sales worldwide and requests to buy the original, but I chose to keep it.
“That response made me think, perhaps for the first time, that I could take my art further. To now have that same painting selected for the Mall Galleries feels quite surreal.”
Katherine paints directly with the brush without sketching first, using loose, expressive watercolour to capture animals’ character.
This follows Highly Commended recognition for her puffin painting, ‘Farne Mist’, in Sketch for Survival 2026, and a finalist place for her elephant painting, ‘What Remains’, in the international tARTget Art Prize.
The exhibition is free to visit at the Mall Galleries, London, from 13–21 November 2026, 10am–5pm daily, and continues online until 1 January 2027.
Instagram: @whisperings_of_art