Poolside has dominated James Hawke’s work since 1998. The title of this painting series is shorthand for images which describe the illusory world printed on the pages of holiday brochures. James’s interest lies in the colour and theatrical nature of Mediterranean tourist destinations and the World’s beaches and also with the human relationships that exist where the everyday is suspended.

A precise and painstaking method of painting leaves the images flat and almost devoid of texture, lending an almost automated feel to the Poolside series. Yet close-up the meticulous labour that has created them becomes apparent. It is one of the many paradoxes to be found with Poolside.

On the surface, these works give us a bright and optimistic experience. But the cryptic social relationships, and the myriad messages being telegraphed through dress and behaviour within a large community of holidaymakers, are endlessly interesting to people-watchers.

Sometimes the effect is unsettling, its mood accentuated by the posed nature of some images. At other times the painting may appear to be a tableau vivant – posed and somehow too perfect in its theatricality – but this is never the case as James rarely alters the juxtapositions of the figures in order to create a better image. Instead he searches through many thousands of photographs for exactly the right composition and balance of movement that often inhabits these complex beach and holiday scenes.

The entire process of each Poolside painting takes up to three months, and the success of each work relies on a constant revaluation as it emerges. The finished painted images have a powerful presence viewed either from a distance or close-up – a curious consequence of this method of expanding a minute picture which, seen from a distance then returns to its original size.

Poolside provides both social commentary and visual stimulation. Intensely modern in its powerful palette and abstracted use of pattern, paintings within the series nevertheless reference classical and ancient art themes and artifacts including The Three Graces and the Venus of Willendorf.