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. The magnificent castle and Cathedral dominate the skyline above the river on a bitterly cold winters day. We came across this famous North Norfolk structure whilst laying the ground for a commissioned painting of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in 2017. However the dramatic sky-scape was inspired by a previous visit, whilst motoring from Ely to Cromer across outherwise featureless open fenland. An apocalyptic storm was brewing some distance away across ploughed fields and I pulled over to enjoy the spectacle and take a few snaps. The billowing clouds had yet to touch the ground and a bright strip of sky formed a band across the horizon. These storms are a feature of the Norfolk landscape and I couldn't resist using what I'd seen to add drama to the Cley painting. The attic bedroom of Charles Paget Wade an extraordinary man with a passion for collecting. Let nothing perish was his motto which but hints at a life dedicated to finding and restoring beautiful objects whether common or extraordinary.
He packed these into the Cotswold manor house which he bought and renovated for the purpose. From toys, Samurai armour, musical instruments to fine clocks, thousands of treasures are still exhibited just as Mr Wade intended. Commissioned to celebrate the retirement of a close friend, the magnificent Rose Window with Dun Cow Lane in the middle distance. Short summary of Durham Cathedral This commissioned painting was produced to commemorate the passing of a Durham man who's ashes were deposited in the river in 2019. 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. The Shrine in Little Walsingham North Norfolk is of global importance to the Anglican Church. Commissioned by Fr Kevin Smith, Priest Administrator in 2017, this large watercolour depicting the Shrine Church and gardens, is on permanent display and was officially unveiled at a meeting of the Shrine Guardians in April 2018. The Cathdral from College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists and home to the Cathedral clergy. The entrance to College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists. 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. 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. 

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. The entrance to the castle on a bright autumn afternoon.

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

Sunshine and Showers, Durham Cathedral
watercolour
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The Cathdral from College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists and home to the Cathedral clergy.

Durham Cathedral As Light Fades
watercolour
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