This Venetian church which lies in the cestiere Cannaregio was founded in the 10th century. Part of the 2014 Durham Cathedral exhibition. This church with it's Romanesque tower dating back to the 13th century, sits at the highest elevation in the village. The covered seating gives shelter and great views down the coast to Teesport to the weary traveller. The view of the Cathedral most often overlooked by tourists and visitors. The medieval Elvet bridge built in 1160 by Bishop Hugh de Puiset. Sadly this delightful 18th Century church is set to be converted into a private dwelling house. I vividly remember childhood expeditions to surreptitiously collect shiny new conkers in the church yard. The church is near to where a claw style green glass beaker dated to the 5th century AD and of Frankish origin, was unearthed from under a hedge in 1775. The area at the time was being worked upon by local landowner Rowland Burdon. The church had been built only a few years earlier and The Beaker as it became to be known, was found with it's base sticking out of the ground by an estate worker. It is held in The British Museum and is evidently the only one of it's kind to be found in England. Membership of the Historic Houses Association does have it's benefits when you've nothing to do over a long weekend. The ancestral home of the Barnard family captured my imagination on a visit in 2017 and I could hardly wait to get it on paper once home. This ancient centre of Durham City is the crossroads of Silver Street, Saddler Street and Claypath. The statue of Neptune which was originally erected in 1729 can just be observed behind the carousel. The centerpiece of this beautiful square is this fountain built in 1368 by Cansigorio della Scala, which is surmounted by a statue called Madonna Verona. The statue is in fact Roman dating to 380 AD. I wanted to paint this view of Elvet bridge from Prince Bishop's Car Park for ages and only it's complexity put me off, though eventually I couldn't resist the challenge. I remember as a small child seeing young calves with noses pressed hard against the red painted slats and my dad demonstrating how they would suckle if offered fingers instead of teats. I can't remember if I was brave enough to take up the challenge, but the event stuck in my mind. I find the doorways on Owengate incredibly attractive especially on a fine summers day when an adjacent tree casts deep shade across the scene. So much so in fact, that this is at least the third Owengate painting to date. The metal table and chairs here set for tea, are those depicted in my homage to Van Gogh. The main door to the Cathedral adorned with an exact replica of the world famous medieval Sanctury Knocker I consider this my take on Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. A scene reminiscent of Jan Bruegel's famous Hunters in The Snow. One of my all time favourite paintings.

Stuart Fisher Watercolours

Artist and award winning designer Stuart Fisher has exhibited his watercolour paintings across the region and as far south as Bath’s prestigious Rooksmoor Gallery. Shortly after his birth in Nuneaton Warwickshire in 1954, Stuart's parents moved to Peterlee New Town where he still lives today with his wife Anne.

Stuart believes that a large section of the art buying public are poorly served by the art market and are hungry for the return of traditional painting. He therefore specialises in the production of architectural watercolours within which he aims to imbue the atmospheric ambiance typical of Turner with the technical brilliance of his artistic hero, Sir William Russell Flint.

A career in architecture spanning almost 34 years culminated with his multi award winning design for Durham City's Science Learning Centre North East. This was followed in 2005 by what he terms 'an escape from the tyranny of the right angle' and the subsequent launch of his professional artistic career early in 2010





Original Watercolours for Sale

The Baroque Church commonly known as Gesuiti was is said to be the work of Giovanni Battista Fattoretto, probably to a design by Domenico Rossi and was constructed on the orders of the aristocratic Manin family between 1715 and 1730.

The Church of Santa Maria Assunta, Venice
Sepia watercolour over black ink.
Size: image size 400 x 295 mm.
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A gift to a close friend to commemorate his 25 years service in the Anglican Church.

St Mary and All Saints Anglican Church, Walsingham, North Norfolk.
Watercolour
Size: 458 x 310mm
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