The picturesque Old Mill Hotel stands adjacent to Bathampton Toll Bridge on the River Avon 3 miles from Bath. The bridge is one of only a handfull still operational in the country. The Cathedral on a glittering winters day as viewed from The College I consider this my take on Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. The medieval Elvet bridge built in 1160 by Bishop Hugh de Puiset. Opened in 1966 the Grade 1 listed structure designed by Sir Ove Arup, links the historic peninsular to Dunelm House on Old Elvet. A fisherman mending baskets watched by his young protegè on the island of Skiathos in Greece. 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 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. One of the jewels of Oxford, the Clarendon was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and built between 1711 and 1713 to house the Oxford University Press. The building lies adjacent the Sheldonian Theatre which was designed by Hawkmoor's mentor and tutor Sir Christopher Wren. 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. Passengers of a gondola being entertained by a singer and his accordionist. Founded by Elizabeth the First in 1571 for the education of the clergy, the College alumni include T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and twice British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson . 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. The University Library had a major refit before exhibiting The Lindisfarne Gospels to great public acclaim in 2013. Elvet Bridge built in 1160 by Bishop Hugh de Puiset. Part of the 2014 Durham Cathedral Exhibition. The principal route to Palace Green and the Cathedral for vehicular and foot traffic.

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

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.

Facade on Wenceslas Square Prague.
Watercolour
Size: 300 x 400mm.
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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.

Raby Castle, County Durham.
Watercolour
Size: 635 x 440mm
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