Feature Artists 2025

In 2025, Plein Air Down Under presents internationally renowned artists to paint and demonstrate their skills during the festival.  The artists announced so far are Michele Usibelli (USA) and Leon Holmes (Australia) who bring their distinct perspectives, adding an enriching global dimension.

Workshops will be available for those with a PADU 2025 Festival Ticket.

Further 2025 Feature Artists will be announced soon.

MICHELE USIBELLI (USA)

OPA, AIS, AWA, CAC, LPAPA

Vibrant-Passionate-Captivating

As the granddaughter of Italian and French immigrants, creativity flows naturally. After earning her Architecture degree from the University of Washington, Michele merged her professional expertise with her love of travel. Her extensive life experiences and global adventures serve as the foundation for her art.

Michele began her artistic journey rooted in the Russian Impressionist tradition, focusing on light and colour through expressive, loose brushstrokes. Influenced by masters like Nicholai Fechin, John Singer Sargent, and William Merritt Chase, she developed her own versatile style. Her work spans genres—from still life and landscapes to cityscapes and figurative pieces—all unified by a consistent voice and distinct application of paint.

Primarily working in oils, Michele also explores acrylics, gouache and watercolour. Her goal is to create original pieces that resonate uniquely with each viewer. Collectors often remark that her work is recognizable “from across the room,” a testament to her artistic identity.

Art provides more than just creative fulfillment; it has connected Michele with collectors, galleries, and fellow artists worldwide. Each painting represents not only a personal achievement but also the beginning of a lasting friendship with those who support her work.

Michele is honoured to have exhibited nationally and internationally, earning awards and having her work included in prestigious collections, including the University of Alaska, Fairbanks Museum of the North and the State of Hawaii. She remains deeply grateful for the opportunity to pursue her passion and to contribute beauty to the world through art.

View Michele’s work at: Michele Usibelli Fine Art

Leon Holmes (WA)

Leon is an international award-winning plein air artist, lecturer and ambassador. 

He paints from life on location, without the aid of photography, using his small studies as reference for larger studio works created in his home studio in Mandurah.

A professional artist since 2003, Leon paints outdoors in the old masters’ style of impressionistic realism.  He works in oil to quickly capture natural light and colour.

Leon is an international award-winning plein air artist, lecturer and ambassador. 

He paints from life on location, without the aid of photography, using his small studies as reference for larger studio works created in his home studio in Mandurah.

A professional artist since 2003, Leon paints outdoors in the old masters’ style of impressionistic realism.  He works in oil to quickly capture natural light and colour.