Just around the corner from The Pantheon, people stream back to their accommodation as evening light fades.
The medieval rose window as seen from the Bailey was installed by the Architect James Wyatt in the 18th century ostensibly to replace an original 13th century example.
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. This the third of the Villa Cimbrone paintings depicts a sunny hidden cloister with charming twisted columns.  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. This image was taken prior to shading in the figures. Those interested in purchasing should contact Stuart for an updated image.
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. I loved my original version of this painting so much, that I decided to give it another go in order to kick start a new series for my 2016 exhibition. 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. Visitors linger on the snow covered green as light fades. 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 centerpiece of this beautiful square is this fountain built in 1368 by Cansigorio della Scala, which is surmounted by a statue called Madonna Verona. The statue is in fact Roman dating to 380 AD. 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. 

Crossing the river Avon, Pulteney bridge designed by Robert Adam was completed in 1773. It is one of only four bridges in the world having shops across the full span on either side of the bridge thoroughfare.

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 Venetian church which lies in the cestiere Cannaregio was founded in the 10th century. Part of the 2014 Durham Cathedral exhibition.

The Church of Santa Maria Misericordia Venice
watercolour
Size:
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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.

St. James Church, Castle Eden Village.
Watercolour
Size: size 310 x 410mm
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