Fletcher Paul Hayes grew up in a house chock-full of oil paintings by his mother's brother Douglas Reynolds. He learned to draw from his talented sister Susilee; junior high and high school teachers Nina Ross Gessler and Gary Kerr; and with neighbor Frank Struss. His father Charles, a professor of architectural and engineering drawing, taught him how to draw with three point perspective.

Hayes received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.

There he studied painting with Alvin Sella, design with Richard Brough, sculpture with Art Oakes, printmaking with Richard Zoellner, ceramics with Dr. Richard Engle, art history with Dr. Joseph Bolt and drawing with Edith Frohock who would stop me in the midst of a drawing saying, "Don't make another mark -- it's finished," while I would protest, "But I'm only half done with it." Ms. Frohock would say, "Put it aside and start a new drawing."

As part of his masters degree, Hayes attended the Blossom Kent Art Program at Kent State University. Guest instructors included sculptor Richard Hunt, printmaker Nathan Olivera and others.

He later studied lithography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with Ellie Specht, and more recently oil painting with instructor Ginny Sykes.

Fletcher also works as a freelance graphic designer.