Barb Thoms is one of the founding members of the Mandurah Plein Air Artists. She enjoys time spent painting outdoors, being in the moment and capturing beautiful surroundings.
Travelling has stimulated her artistic development and provides the subject matter for most of her paintings. It was during her travels that the joy of painting “en plein air” became evident.
Barb says “Painting en plein air focuses the senses. It connects you directly with your subject and enhances the comprehension of colour and light. Being able to capture and convey that sense of place leaves an indelible memory of a fleeting moment in time”.
Her distinctive palette knife technique creates an energetic response to the landscape, engaging and impacting the viewer.
Artist of the Month for May, 2026 – Barb Thoms
Barb Thoms is a founding member of MPAA. She has worked tirelessly for our group and instrumental, along with Leon Holmes, in bringing the Plein Air Down Under Outdoor Painting Festival to Mandurah. This festival is Australia’s longest running Plein Air Festival having started in 2019.
Alongside her amazing organisational skills, Barb is a well established artist on the Mandurah Scene. She attends our paint outs weekly and always produces some exceptional paintings in oils (although she did use Gouache earlier this year).
Barb is a dab hand at making a palette knife seem easy – and creates some beautiful interpretations of the world around us. Her plein air work is amazing and we all love to see what beauties Barb gives us each week.
Her studio sits on the canals with a breathtaking view down the water. This year’s visitors to Mandurah Open Studios would have seen a glimpse of this glorious view, alongside some beautiful paintings.
Congratulatons Barb on being our Artist of the Month for May 2026.
Mandurah Plein Air Artists 