Judging from appearances, the participants in the Plein Air X exhibition at the Bermuda Arts Centre had a lot of fun creating the art that makes up this show. The exhibition exudes enjoyment.The term “plein air” is of French origin and implies painting on site, in the open air. This type of painting has a history that goes back about 200 years, one of the earliest plein air painters being the renowned Englishman John Constable.Early in the 19th century, there were a number of technical developments that made painting outside a practical possibility.I am thinking of the early discoveries of certain synthetic, chemically-produced colours and also the invention of the painting tube, which allowed artists to take their required paints with them.These two developments have completely transformed the practice of painting, be it plein air or in the studio.Artists no longer have to make their own paints and, through science, the range of colours is much broader than in previous centuries.In recent years, interest in plein air painting has taken off. Should you google the term, you will now discover numerous plein air art associations from around the world.Although Bermuda’s plein air painters may not think of themselves as being part of the environmental movement, their interests fits in with other environmental concerns.As the environment is threatened, so interest is generated in preserving it and our artists are busy recording what is left of Bermuda’s natural environment, which is, likewise, under threat.This is the tenth such exhibition by the plein air group.My understanding is that this is a very informal, loose knit group with no required membership, membership dues or anything remotely resembling an organised club.Instead, anyone is welcome to participate in the weekly, Sunday morning sessions. The actual organising of the get-together falls to Rhona Emmerson, who not only arranges for the painting site, but also gets the word out to regular attendees.I suppose these then tell others, who may wish to give it a go. This is a wonderful way to get to see parts of Bermuda that are usually quite private and off limits to the general public — and all in the good company of fellow artists.There are, of course, those who are obvious beginners, but the overall feel is that this is a good, worthwhile exhibition.The stars in this show are the paintings of Molly Godet, especially her Red Field, Fiddlewoods, Paget. I overheard one artist, in reacting to this particular painting, say: “It’s very abstract.”He was using Abstract in its original sense, meaning; to simplify, to “draw away” from all the many details that make a reality, to the underlying essentials of the subject.This assessment is an astute one, for M Godet’s paintings are typically abstract in that sense. Another of her watercolours that caught my attention was Blue and White Kitchen, Heron Bay.Additionally there is her Sunday in the Park. This title may be a take-off on that of the musical: Sunday in the Park with George which is about Georges Seurat’s most famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.Interestingly, Rhona Emmerson painted the same field as Molly Godet and from a similar viewpoint, but Rhona’s is smaller and an oil.Its title is: Ord Road, Farm Lands. Like many of her paintings, it is rich in colour.As I walked around the show, I found that I could pick out some of the many locations this group had visited and one in particular was Southlands, especially its driveway.Of interest are all the many and varied ways these artists have interpreted this subject, especially the banyan tree that lines the drive.Vivienne Gardner’s acrylic of Southlands is full of light, but in contrast to the darker buttress roots of the banyan tree.This quality of light should not be surprising, as light, usually by means of stained glass is her forte.Marlene Jantzen’s depiction of Southlands is notably delicate, and soft, primarily though her use of a watercolour technique called wet in wet.The softness is in contrast, however, with the decorative and sharply delineated darker silhouettes of certain plants in the foreground.Michele Smith’s Southlands, is a bold, painterly abstract, yet the feel of walking down Southlands’ shaded drive, under the roots of the banyan tree is expressively stated.Her gestural application of oil paint reminded me of certain abstracted landscapes by the English modernist, Ivan Hitchens.By contrast, Diana Amos’s Shrew the Banyan Trees is a more delicate rendition of Southlands drive.The higher values of green, create a background to the darker brown trunks and buttress roots of the banyan trees.The catchy play on a very Bermudian saying, that makes up the title, is an important aspect of this painting.Other artists who dealt with the Southlands theme are, Elizabeth Trott, who stressed in her small watercolours, (she had two which were entitled, Southlands I & II) the verticality of the roots and vines.These she depicted, using quite abstract coloured lines.Another was Margaret Potts, whose oil painting makes effective use of the contrast between the dark roots and trunk of the banyan tree on the left and lower left of the painting against the lighter, sunny greens on the upper right.Tricia Abbott Walters, also painted Southlands’ banyan tree and also in the abstract manner.Although Southlands seems to have been a popular subject in this exhibition, other sites were also visited, such as Watch Hill Park near Spittal Pond.There is, from this site, a particularly surprising work by Chris Grimes, of rocks, waves and spray.What is unusual is the way Mr Grimes had applied paint to canvas.In this small painting, the paint is freely applied in thick, expressive brush strokes. It is surprising, for Chris Grimes is not known for this kind of paint application.His paintings are usually, precise renderings of historic scenes, with thin layers of paint, carefully applied. I understand that Chris, when on location with the plein air painters, tends to paint more freely and this is refreshing to see.Charles Knights’ unusual watercolours are basically, coloured drawings made with small, often separate brush strokes, in a manner, much like pointillism. The effect is a visual dance; a delight to the eyes.Chris Marson has contributed several small oil paintings and one is an unusual subject in that he paints Abbott’s cliff, but even then its colours are unusual, in that the painting is more golden, giving it a late afternoon aspect.Not unlike the works of Chris Marson, although more abstract, are two paintings by M J Saints. She has a number on exhibit, but for me, her Smith’s Island and Harrington Sound, are her best.Grahame Rendell has painted a picture of John Smith’s Bay from a high vantage point, which allows him to see not only the beach below, but the coast further west, including Rocky Bay. This small painting, because it is small, could easily get overlooked, but it is worth seeking out.Wynne Colley’s Around the Pond is a painting of a wooded path that could well be one of the trails at Spittal Pond.In the history of art, there are any number of paintings of wooded paths, lanes or trails, and several come to mind. I am thinking of Graham Sutherland’s Entrance to a Lane, Cezanne’s Tree Lined Lane at Chantilly or a more recent one, David Hockney’s Woldgate Woods.It is an appealing subject and one the plein air group has exploited at Southlands. With Wynne Colley’s painting, the path is a mixture of light and shade, as if mottled by light shining through foliage.Heidi Cowen’s small painting of a red buoy next to mangroves is simply delightful.What it demonstrates is that a painting can be small and compositionally simple and yet be engaging.Plein Air X continues through June 22.