This commissioned painting was produced to commemorate the passing of a Durham man who's ashes were deposited in the river in 2019. One of 3 new works for 2021 depicting this villa most famous for the A list celebrities who have visited it over many years. These include Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo and T S Eliot. However, my wife and I traveled there on the strength of seeing the villa depicted on The Trip to Italy with comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. I've always loved the view up Owengate with The Cathedral in the distance and as such have been drawn to paint it on a number of occasions. Most observers don't even notice the tree near to the junction with North Bailey and  Saddler Street but I see it as almost a curtain pulled aside to reveal the view beyond. 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 ancient water tower is in the foreground with the arched entrance to the Choristers School behind.
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. 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 Cathdral from College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists and home to the Cathedral clergy. I was fascinated by this giant mechanism during a trip up the Thames in 2019. 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. 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.
Short summary of Durham Castle The River Wear slides slowly bye rowing club pontoons whilst wood smoke curls upwards from burning logs. My wife and I found this doorway with it's stunning portico and broken pediment while sauntering through the delightful cobbled streets of Girona.

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

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.

Durham Cathedral, Sanctuary Knocker (ice)
watercolour
Size:
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San Giorgio Maggiore the 16th century Benedictine Basilica is viewed from one of the numerous gondola stations serving tourists visiting Piazza San Marco. The church was designed by Andrea Palladio, and built between 1566 and 1610 in the classical renaissance style.

The Gondola Station Venice
Sepia watercolour over black ink.
Size: image size 410 x 270 mm.
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