His "Impressions of North Otago", which runs until March 6 at the Forrester Gallery, reflects the approach he has developed over 20 years of painting, which began when he wandered into the North Otago Art Society's Customs House in Oamaru's historic area.
In the cold of winter, artist Roy Woodward was painting in front of a warm fire.
"I was fascinated by what he was doing, and asked if he would show me the basics.
"I spent a good number of Saturday mornings painting away under his guidance," Mr Cundall said.
He thinks his interest in painting was also generated by his uncle, New Zealand painter Ted Bullmore.
Initially, Mr Cundall painted big landscapes and still lifes.
But then he read about a pochade box, which holds a small board, minimum number of paints and can be used anywhere.
At the same time, he developed a fascination with light, particularly sunrises and sunsets.
Capturing that required speed, a simple approach and, if possible, somewhere comfortable.
He built his own pochade box, can now sit in his car when the weather is cold and capture a scene he sees, rather than a wide panorama, within 30 to 45 minutes, using as few colours as he can, preferably only three.
"Less is more.
"The less paint and the less fuss keeping it simple, the more it's a pleasurable experience," Mr Cundall said.
This is his first exhibition, of 14 works on show, in an impressionist style.
