Fletcher Prentice's paintings are a wonderful display a fluidity and confidence with oil combined with a meticulous eye for detail. He is interested in shape, colour and the natural world along with the material qualities of paint, enjoying its texture as he uses it to build form. His paintings often take on two contrasting themes - one is still life, such as with cutlery or crockery, laid out neatly in grids, the other more prominent is bird and plant life. These paintings are made up of tangled foliage, plumage and colour, his loose painting style describes the constantly shifting movement, nature at its best. His works are often described as reminiscent of the classical murals from ancient Rome, large in scale, soft yet strong in colour and rich in detail.
Fletcher Prentice studied at Falmouth School of Art in the 80's but has been painting full time since 2007. 'When I paint I constantly strive to balance on the one hand my fascination with an object - using paint and enjoying the qualities of paint, breaking down and semi-abstracting the subject matter and surface - and on the other hand my desire to retain and capture the natural beauty of the subject, whether it be the human figure, an animal or a single pear,' he explains