Primarily a figurative painter, Fletcher draws his inspiration from many different sources; books, music, travel and – more specifically – dance performances.

"I was always interested in the human form and except for a few paintings have painted nothing but. To interpret weight, form, light and then the flow and line of the human form is the challenge. To create the body with as much economy of line as possible, like Gustav Klimt's drawings, is the ultimate goal. As a figurative painter, I also like the way you are involving the viewer. You are asking them to interpret and add their own experiences to a painting. People can't help but associate or relate to a figurative work. It's not the same with a bowl of fruit or landscape, no matter how dramatic it is."

"I like the idea of classical themes: mainly because they are so universally recognisable that only a few simple elements are needed to create a theme; their simplicity is what makes them contemporary, but they are influenced by the ancient. I like this juxtaposition."

Although some critics believe that Fletcher Sibthorp is a traditional painter; his methods are in practice highly experimental. Fletcher himself refers to his style of work as painting by serendipity, or painting on the edge.

"Painting for me is an expressive process. My role is to decide whether something works ... and if certain elements add anything to the whole. It's a fine balance of control and experimentation. Even I don't know how the paintings will develop. They take on their own life, creating their own spirituality."

“When a body is caught on film at a slow shutter speed it is abstracted. I quite like that – bits of bodies missing, blurred. It is a bit like a visual puzzle, where the viewer fills in the gaps.”

For most of his paintings Fletcher produces a line drawing and/or colour study on drawing film before he paints the final piece. If he is happy with a particular drawing he will keep it and use it as the basis for a colour study. These studies allow him to get to know his subject and to decide if there is an area on which he particularly wants to focus. They also allow him to experiment with colour, body movement and light.

"I believe that artwork, especially my kind of work, should be self-explanatory as it is a visual language. If you have to explain it, you are failing to a certain extent. Everything should be conveyed in the painting .... I would go along with Oscar Wilde, who once said, "A picture has no meaning but its beauty, no message but its joy".