A collection of work by plein air artists is now on display at Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art. Plein air paintings are completed outdoors and typically take no more than a few hours from start to finish — artists in this current Masterworks exhibit meet every Sunday, rain or shine, to refine their technique. Grahame Rendell’s oil paintings form part of the exhibit. He spoke with Lifestyle about his love of art and painting plein air.

Q: When did you start painting?

A: I started a long time ago, when I was with the Royal Navy. They encouraged sketching while on duty. That was about 35, 40 years ago. I then moved to the US and took up painting again in Pennsylvania, where I lived for some years. Subsequently, work, family and building a career took away from my art for some time. I came to Bermuda in the early 80s and took up the brushes again. I’ve become more active in the last few years as I have approached retirement and have now become fully retired from business.

Q: Will this be your first exhibit?

A: I’ve exhibited locally before but never at Masterworks. It’s quite a rarity to do that.

Q: What’s the enjoyment that you get out of creating art?

A: The joy is in visual communication. It is appreciating the beauty of Bermuda — its colours, the water, the landscapes. My main medium is landscapes. It’s quite innovating to spend two to three hours standing in one position, confining a particular view to canvas and appreciating what a beautiful place we live in.

Q: Why plein air?

A: A lot of people paint in studios but to be out painting alone or with others in such a beautiful place is truly a privilege. Our group paints regularly, very consistently, and we’ve been building our numbers in the last five to eight years. It’s good to be able to paint with others, to meet regularly and go to interesting places and select views from there.

Q: Am I right in thinking you’ve done some directing? I think I read that somewhere. A: My other side is amateur theatre. I’ve certainly enjoyed working with BMDS on shows — originally as an actor and subsequently as a director. But directing is all-consuming. You give away three months of your life to putting on a show.

Q: How many pieces of yours are in the show at Masterworks?

A: We were limited to six pieces [which worked for me because] I find framing is quite a long process here in Bermuda, and quite expensive.

Q: What artists inspired you?

A: I really appreciate quite a few artists in Bermuda. Chris Marson is excellent; Jonah Jones is very good and there are a number of others here. French Impressionists are wonderful. I’d loved to be as loose as they were and as creative. Other artists I look up to are Spanish artist Joaquin Sorolla, American artist Andrew Wyeth, New Zealand artist Richard Robinson and Bermuda artists Stephen Card and Sheilagh Head.

• Plein Air Pop Up runs through February 25 at Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art. Visit bermudamasterworks.com.