Fletcher Prentice | The Painted Garden

About

Included in his solo exhibition will be paintings exploring the artist's personal vision of a garden as an Arcadian space where nature and a more cultivated garden co-exist in equilibrium.

Fletcher Prentice is best known for his effervescent, lavishly painted flower-scapes; gloriously layered and tangled foliage, often dotted with garden birds or hovering insects. His loose, yet detailed painting style describes a constant, shifting movement.

'My paintings are very much a celebration of how beautiful the natural world is,' says Fletcher. 'Sometimes they are almost romantically overwhelming, depicting all that is there. I'm especially inspired by periods of intensity in the garden, when everything is in bloom'

He is influenced by frescoes found in ancient Rome, the Villa Livia a particular favourite.

 'Often Roman villas had subterranean rooms and had painted garden scenes on the walls,' says Fletcher. 'I am drawn to the idea of bringing the natural world into the interior space, or a painting acting as a window to the landscape and garden'

Fletcher's paintings follow the year from Spring to late summer, depicting the flowers that grow within this period, and observing the changes in colour and texture throughout.

Fletcher Prentice studied at Falmouth College of Art, and has exhibited nationally and internationally.  His paintings have been much in-demand at Sarah Wiseman Gallery, with whom he has been working for several years.

'Fletcher's paintings have a timeless appeal, with many people falling in love with them as soon as they see them,' says Sarah Wiseman, the gallery's director. 'He paints with dazzling technical accomplishment, but he retains a sensitivity and deftness of hand that gives his work that sense of movement.'