Janet Thomas (b. 1963, Sydney) is a contemporary artist based in Sydney. Renowned for her representational paintings, she has recently expanded her practice to include hand-carved marble sculptures. Thomas employs pigments mixed with egg tempera and oil on canvas, alongside uniquely carved marble embellished with painted pigments bound in egg tempera and oil. She is best known for her stylized figures depicted within imaginative landscapes.
Thomas’s work delves into the nature of reality and humanity's role within it, characterized by its distinctive use of earth pigments and a inimitable approach to texture and form. Her notable project, “The River Series” of 2023, explores the fragility and irrationality of human existence, marking a significant breakthrough into the contemporary art market with successful sales to collectors in New York.
Janet Thomas has exhibited extensively, including collaborations with sculptor Nicholas Georgouras from 1980 until his death in 2020. Her work has been featured in group shows at the Salon Des Refuses in Sydney (1983), the Australian Museum (1989), the Casula Powerhouse Museum (2004), and the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative (2018). Her pieces are held in collections across New York, London, Los Angeles, Sydney, and Melbourne, and she is listed in Max Germaine’s art encyclopedia “Artists and Galleries of Australia.”