I cut my artistic teeth painting and drawing trees. This view of the West Towers offered a great opportunity to enjoy myself painting them lit by the dying winter sun. The principal route to Palace Green and the Cathedral for vehicular and foot traffic. 16thc Horden Hall looms over the once thriving farm buildings. This distressed facade adds to the charm of one of the many palazzios to be found on the back waters of Venice. Short summary of Castle Keep I consider this my take on Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. This former palace, situated on the hill below Prague Castle, is now the Italian Embassy. The painting is one of two shortlisted in the 2016 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition. Located at the West end of the Cathedral, it's design is heavily influenced by Islamic architecture. The ancient medieval arched entrance to the College an area behind the Cathedral which is the home of the clergy and the Chorister School. The staircase to the Cathedral Chapter Office can just be made out in the shadows of the passage in the centre of view which also leads to the Cathedral workshops. Part of the 2014 Durham Cathedral Exhibition. This anti-room to the former palazzo, (now restaurant) was open to the street. I couldn't resist walking in to gawp at the two wonderful chinese vases on display. The majestic Cathedral looms over visitors to the Castle The north facing Cathedral door features an exact replica of the bronze Sanctuary Knocker. The original is normally part of the Cathedral Treasures display but was part of the Royal Academy's 'Bronze' exhibition during 2012. Bow Lane is reputed to be the route that William the Conqueror took when leaving the city after visiting the coffin of Saint Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral. At that time it lead down to a ford across the River Wear, but now leads to Kingsgate Bridge, a superbly elegant concrete structure designed by Ove Arup and completed in 1963. The Basilica of St Mary of Health (Italian: Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute), commonly known as the Salute, is a minor basilica which stands on a narrow finger of land between the Grand Canal and the Bacino di San Marco making the church visible from the Piazza San Marco.The church was designed in the then fashionable baroque style by Baldassare Longhena, and construction began in 1631.The dome of the Salute was an important addition to the Venice skyline and soon became emblematic of the city, inspiring artists like Canaletto, J. M. W. Turner and John Singer Sargent. Commissioned to celebrate the retirement of a close friend, the magnificent Rose Window with Dun Cow Lane in the middle distance. The magnificent central tower is 218 feet in height and here set against a darkened evening winter sky.

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

This commissioned painting was produced to commemorate the passing of a Durham man who's ashes were deposited in the river in 2019.

Durham Cathedral from the River Wear
Watercolour
Size: 490mm x 325mm
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My wife and I came across this bistro while mooching about London early in 2019. It's stunning roof is formed in COR-TEN steel. The thin layer of rust which forms on exposure to the elements, actually protects the steel underneath. We couldn't resist stopping off for a coffee and observing locals playing chess within. It's only my second painting of a London scene, but I greatly enjoyed capturing the reflections in the windows of the surrounding buildings and the transparency of the bistro itself.

A bistro in London's Aldgate Square
Watercolour
Size: 378mm x 280mm
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