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. The entrance to The Castle under a fresh covering of snow Short summary of Oxford Opened in 1966 the Grade 1 listed structure designed by Sir Ove Arup, links the historic peninsular to Dunelm House on Old Elvet. 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. I consider this my take on Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. 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. Used primarily as a venue for special occassions associated with Durham University and as student accommodation, it is known to students simply as Castle. 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 Avon water taxi stop at Batheaston Mill is a favoured spot for fly fishing. Described by the famous 18th century author Horace Walpole in a letter to George Montague, 'the Avon falling in a wide cascade' it is little changed. 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. Visitors linger on the snow covered green as light fades. 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. One of my very rare forays into portraiture.

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 beautifully lit jug of sunflowers was sitting on the metal table depicted in a recent Owengate cafe painting. Although a departure from my normal subject material, the painting process gave great pleasure. And despite the obvious allure of the flowers themselves, my favourite passages are the rusty ends to the metalwork of the garden chairs.

In The Footsteps of Van Gogh
Watercolour
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Stuart was shortlisted in the 2013 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition for this painting depicting a violent storm breaking over Cromer pier Norfolk. During the storm 'day became night' and Stuart and his wife Anne were soaked through to the skin in the deluge of rain.

'And Day Became Night'
watercolour
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