They were intended to lure people into buying a dream-like experience. For me, the staged, hyper-coloured scenes portrayed something darker. Perhaps it was partly the insincerity of the advertising promise that interested me but magnifying them in paintings turned the ‘actors’ in the (usually tiny) photographs back into people.

This focus on seeking the perfect moment; where we are released from everyday responsibilities and placed into a blue paradise (sky, sea, pool) has developed over the years. I now mostly paint beach scenarios where I find a multiplicity of humanity to work with, as well as that longing for the perfect moment.

Crowded beaches are unique social places. They are the only place we will undress in front of strangers and then sit or lie next, almost naked, next to an unknown person for the day. They are places where we can suspend our concern about class or culture in a collective act of leisure. Here we can indulge our vast variety of human activities: playing, arguing, reading, swimming, drinking, thinking, smoking, laughing and, of course, people-watching. For me, this combination provides an endless source of inspiration.