The High Country Breathes

Jennifer Koch

This body of work emerges from the mysterious heart of the Victorian High Country – its shifting light, its veiled peaks and the quiet pulse of the land where the great rivers are born.

These paintings explore both the grandeur and the fragility of this landscape: a place where heritage brumbies move like fleeting shadows across alpine meadows, and where water gathers in hidden springs before beginning its long journey to the sea.

In the High Country, where the earth meets the sky, I find a realm imbued with magic and mystery, often referred to as ‘thin places’. My work seeks to capture, to evoke feelings felt in these high places. Standing at atop these heights, I experience a profound duality – grounded by earth yet surrounded by infinite sky.

Inspired by the Impressionists, I seek to capture the essence of the landscape and aim to evoke emotions through colour and texture. Each brush stroke, each colour, serves as a tribute to the uncharted territories within ourselves and the world around us.

As a part of this body of work I have included our Heritage Brumbies who roam our rugged landscapes, symbolising resilience and freedom as they embody the history of the region.

Through this exploration I honour the origins of the rivers as metaphors for our own paths – winding and unpredictable while the brumbies remind us of the untamed spirit of the High Country. I invite you to immerse yourself in the beauty and significance, embracing the interplay of nature, history and thin places.