The north facing Cathedral door features an exact replica of the bronze Sanctuary Knocker which is normally part of the Cathedral Treasures display but is currently part of the Royal Academy's 'Bronze' exhibition which will run until December 8th. The entrance to College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists. Visitors linger on the snow covered green as light fades. Gondola stations adjacent to the Piazza San Marco, rarely observed without the tourist hoardes. A scene reminiscent of Jan Bruegel's famous Hunters in The Snow. One of my all time favourite paintings. I wanted to paint this and the view of Elvet bridge from Prince Bishop's Car Park for ages and only their complexity put me off, though eventually I couldn't resist the challenge. 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. Looking up as I always do when walking around a great city, this otherwise ignored facade captured my imagination and became one of two shortlisted in the 2016 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition. My wife and I celebrated a recent wedding anniversary with a river trip to see the Thames Barrier. On our way, I was fascinated by the relationship between these two iconic structures. I enjoy replicating the pattern of shadows in strong sunlight. 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. Sheep take shelter on this coastal County Durham farm. 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. 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.

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

16thc Horden Hall looms over the once thriving farm buildings.

Horden Hall Farm, County Durham.
Watercolour
Size: 540mm x 315mm
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This is the wonderful view with our backs to the door of St Marti Sacosta. It gave immense pleasure to paint the ancient and somewhat crumbling stonework to the buildings either side of the steps and the people enjoying lunch at the restaurant below.

Pujada Di Sant Domenec, Girona Spain.
Watercolour
Size: 377mm x 508mm
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