Sandra Guy is an Australian artist and educator whose practice spans four decades. Her work explores the sublime through lived experiences of the landscapes of regional New South Wales, often expressed through vast, sweeping skies and heightened colour and light.

Born in the United States to Australian parents, Guy grew up in Sydney before relocating to regional New South Wales. Early exposure to Australia’s landscapes through childhood travel and geological fieldwork with her parents fostered a lifelong fascination with natural forms and the environment.

Re-examining nineteenth-century Romantic ideals, Guy challenges traditional distinctions between the sublime, picturesque, and pastoral, proposing that the sublime can emerge in any setting. A recurring “two-thirds sky” motif underscores the power of the natural world and is juxtaposed with rural and suburban scenes of the Northern Rivers. Everyday elements—roads, signage, machinery, and petrol stations—are elevated through the lens of the sublime, creating works that feel both timeless and distinctly Australian.

Guy holds a Bachelor of Art (Visual Art) from City Art Institute S.C.A.E and a Master of Art from COFA, UNSW. She has exhibited widely in Australia and internationally, including solo exhibitions at Artifact Gallery, New York (2022), and Tweed Regional Gallery (2015), and was represented by Agora Gallery, New York from 2018 to 2023. Her achievements include the 2D Significant Art Award at the Stanthorpe Art Prize (2018) and multiple finalist selections. Alongside her practice, she has had a distinguished 30-year career in tertiary arts education with TAFE NSW.

Rayleigh’s Warning- Round Mountain.

Oil on canvas, 100 × 75 cm

$5500

Casuarina Development

Oil on Linen, 100 x 75cm

$5500

‘My arts practice explores the notion of the sublime as it relates to my lived experiences of the landscapes of

regional New South Wales. I seek to capture the intense colour and light of these sublime moments, often

expressed through vast, sweeping skies that dominate the picture plane.

In my work, I re-examine nineteenth-century Romantic ideals that classified the world into categories such as

the sublime, picturesque, and pastoral. Contrary to these distinctions, I suggest that sublime experiences can

emerge in any environment. The recurring motif of the “two-thirds sky” represents the power of the natural

world, often juxtaposed with rural or suburban scenes typical of the Northern Rivers region where I live. This

juxtaposition highlights the ongoing tension between land use and land preservation.

Within these man-altered environments, elements such as roads, trucks, signs, planes, machinery, and petrol

stations become subjects of contemplation. Through the lens of the sublime, these ordinary features are

elevated from the everyday to the extraordinary. My aim is to paint landscapes that feel both timeless and

distinctly Australian—works that evoke intrigue, drama, and an invitation for narrative.

My heightened sensory awareness and visual perception shape the way I experience and interpret the landscape’

Sandra Guy

The Shower

Oil on Linen, 150 x 100cm

$9900

Qualifications
1997–1998 Master of Art, College of Fine Art COFA University of NSW Sydney Australia
1994–1996 Bachelor of Art Visual Art City Art Institute SCAE Sydney Australia
2002–2003 Graduate Diploma in Vocational Education and Training Southern Cross University Lismore Australia
2013 Diploma of Management North Coast TAFE Coffs Harbour Australia

Solo Exhibitions
2022 Artifact Gallery Lower East Side New York USA
2015 Two Thirds Sky Searching for the Sublime in the Northern Rivers Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Murwillumbah NSW Australia
2007 Bluey’s Landscapes Manning Regional Gallery Taree NSW Australia
1998 Artist in Residence Exhibition Penrith Regional Gallery and Lewers’ Bequest Gallery Emu Plains Sydney Australia
1997 Ontogeny View Gallery Wentworth Falls NSW Australia
1996–1997 Ontogeny touring exhibition Art Arena Gallery Wollongong Burrangong Gallery Young Paul Sorensen Gallery Leura NSW Australia
1996 Metamorphosis Sweet Foray Gallery Katoomba NSW Australia

Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 The Pet Show MIArts Precinct Murwillumbah NSW
2023 Art Without Limits MIArts Precinct Murwillumbah NSW
2022 Blue MIArts Precinct Murwillumbah NSW
2022 Small MIArts Precinct Murwillumbah NSW
2022 Mirror Mirror Agora Gallery New York USA
2019 Wollumbin Art Award Tweed Regional Art Gallery Murwillumbah NSW
2018 A Splendid Summer Showcase Agora Gallery New York USA
2018 The Stanthorpe Art Prize Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery QLD
2017 The Morris Art Prize Exhibition Hall Carrara QLD
2008–2017 Selected exhibitions Art Piece Gallery Mullumbimby NSW
2005–2006 Countryscapes 2005 Parliament House Sydney
2005 Country Energy Art Prize Grafton Regional Gallery Grafton NSW Australia
2004 Bounty of the Sea Arthouse Hotel Sydney Australia
2002–2001 Masters Graduating Exhibition College of Fine Arts Sydney Australia
1998–1997 Selected exhibitions including COFA Gallery Gallery 43 Ten Taylor Gallery and Ivan Dougherty Gallery Sydney Australia

Awards
2022 Finalist Wollumbin Art Award Tweed Regional Art Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre Murwillumbah NSW
2018 Winner Significant 2D Award Stanthorpe Art Prize Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery QLD
2018 Finalist Morris Art Prize Exhibition Hall Carrara QLD
2017 Finalist Inaugural 30 x 30 Art Prize Art Piece Gallery Mullumbimby NSW
2006 Highly Commended Oil Painting Section Pacific Palms Art Prize NSW
2005–2006 Finalist Country Energy Art Prize Grafton Regional Gallery and Parliament House Sydney
1998–1999 Finalist Outback Art Prize Broken Hill City Gallery NSW
1996 Highly Commended Works on Paper Art in the Mountains Art Awards Wentworth Falls NSW
1994 Winner First Inaugural Yaralla Art Award Sydney
1987 Winner Open Section Youth Art Award Bondi Pavilion Gallery Sydney Australia
1986 Highly Commended Print Section Waverley Art Prize Sydney Australia

Residencies
1998 Artist in Residence Lewers’ Bequest and Regional Gallery Emu Plains NSW Australia
1994–1997 Studio Artist Everglades Creative Centre for the Arts Everglades Gardens Leura NSW Australia

Collections
College of Fine Arts University of NSW Print Collection acquired 1987
Waverley Council acquired 1986
Australian Print Workshop acquired 1988
Private collections in Japan Germany Australia United Kingdom and United States