The Alcoa Mandurah Art Gallery is highlighting a featured artist every month.

Barb Thoms is one of the founding members of the Mandurah Plein Air Artists.

Painting on location focusses the senses.

The sounds, the light, the mood, the scents – everything becomes part of this immersive experience.

Barb’s aim is to absorb these sensations and emotions, and through her work, transport the viewer to experience that moment in time. To be there, where she stood.   She loves the idea of being the conduit that conveys that sense of place. A sense of that fleeting moment.

She is fascinated by the effects of thick oil paint, applied with a palette knife.  The feel of the paint as it glides across the surface. The way texture reflects light.  Even through the stillness of the moment, she is compelled to respond to the world around her in an energetic and spontaneous way.

Her distinctive palette knife technique creates an energetic response to the landscape, engaging and impacting the viewer.