American painter. Born and raised in Hunt Country of Virginia, received her BA from Davidson College. Now a Charlotte resident, she has spent time working in the South Carolina Low Country, the Montana Ruby River Valley, and Virginia Hunt Country. Her work is "rooted in a love of land and place." Constructs and also deconstructs her works by combining layers of paint, marble dust, wax, graphite, and even dirt. She allows each work to resolve at different levels of abstraction while attempting to lure the viewer into a personal sense of place. McAlister has exhibited her work at Les Yeux du Monde, Charlottesville, VA; Hidell Brooks, Charlotte, NC; and the University of Georgia Circle Gallery, Athens, GA.