Art Images Gallery will present ‘High Country’, a new series of paintings by Sarah McDonald inspired by the artist’s residency in Victoria’s Alpine National Park. The exhibition opens on Friday 4 September 2026 at the Norwood, South Australia, gallery and will remain on view through 4 October.
The series takes its starting point from McDonald’s time among snow gums during winter. According to the gallery, the paintings reflect an immersive engagement with an alpine environment shaped by stillness, solitude and reflection. Rather than presenting the landscape only as scenery, the works focus on the distinctive trees and the conditions surrounding them.
McDonald’s subject is the simultaneous resilience and vulnerability of snow gums. The gallery describes the landscape as one undergoing change, a context that informs the series’ attention to strength, fragility and environmental uncertainty. The paintings are intended to evoke the shifting character of the alpine setting rather than provide straightforward illustrations of a particular view.
Materially, McDonald works with layered oil paint and textured surfaces. These techniques give the paintings a tactile quality and allow variations in surface, density and mark-making to carry part of the series’ meaning. The resulting body of work is described as capturing both the durability and delicacy of the trees and their surrounding environment.
Art Images Gallery’s exhibition programme spans painting, printmaking, sculpture, glass, ceramics, jewellery and related objects. Its upcoming programme lists ‘High Country’ as a solo exhibition, alongside presentations of work by Amanda Westley, Brenden Scott French and Donna Gordge, all scheduled for 4 September to 4 October 2026. Those projects are separate exhibitions within the gallery’s programme and are not part of McDonald’s series.
The opening reception for ‘High Country’ is scheduled for 6–8pm on 4 September. McDonald will also take part in an artist talk at the gallery on Saturday 19 September at 2pm, offering an opportunity to discuss the solo exhibition and the ideas behind the new paintings. ‘High Country’ runs at Art Images Gallery from 4 September to 4 October 2026.
