Fletcher Sibthorp

Since graduating with an honours degree from Kingston University, Fletcher Sibthorp's career has flourished with commissions for major artworks from such prestigious companies as BP, British Airways, British Telecom and Sony Records. His work has twice appeared on the cover of The Evening Standard and The Royal Shakespeare Company has commissioned him on a number of occasions. His work has adorned the pages of biographies for both Bertrand Russell and Virginia Woolf and appeared on covers of numerous books and record albums.

Initially, Fletcher was attracted by the concept of movement and its effect on the human form. This naturally lead to his interest in sport and abstract portrayals of gymnasts and athletes, culminating in an exhibition ' In Motion ' in London in 1992. Fletcher was approached by Sadlers Wells in 1995, to produce a painting for the Flamenco dance troupe Paco Pena. The movement and the expressive quality in his work complemented the passion of Flamenco. Fletcher Sibthorp was immediately drawn into the energy of the dance, producing many painting on that theme.

However, Fletcher has recently become more interested in the figure alone, its subtleties and the infinite expressions. As he says, " I'm interested in taking a figure, placing it in an abstract space and from these simple elements, creating a narrative. I like to think that when people view the paintings, they will add their own emotions and from these, create their own interpretations." The faces, although simple, have a complexity to them. A contemplative gaze, a person deep in thought, hinting of a secret which the viewer is permitted to share. " These are not portraits, " Fletcher argues, " the models act as a reflection of my own and the viewer's self expression and vunerabilty". Because the paintings are so simple, the viewer cannot help but add their own experiences. The viewer is invited to identify with the subject and project their own mood onto the painting.

Fletcher Sibthorp has won six competitons including the Association of Illustrators title on no less than three occasions and six separate Awards of Excellence. Since 1992, Fletchers work has been widely exhibited and most of his one-man shows are now held overseas in countries such as Japan and Hong Kong. His hugely successful exhibitions and book launch in Cork Street, London in March, 2005 and March 2006 saw his prices for major oils soar to over £20,000.