Located at the West end of the Cathedral, it's design is heavily influenced by Islamic architecture. 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. 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.
The granddaughter of a close friend. My wife and I came across this bistro while mooching about London early in 2019. It's stunning roof is formed in COR-TEN steel. The thin layer of rust which forms on exposure to the elements, actually protects the steel underneath. We couldn't resist stopping off for a coffee and observing locals playing chess within. It's only my second painting of a London scene, but I greatly enjoyed capturing the reflections in the windows of the surrounding buildings and the transparency of the bistro itself. The River Wear slides slowly bye rowing club pontoons whilst wood smoke curls upwards from burning logs. A former Cistercian Abbey near the market town of Helmsley, Rievaulx was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538. It's picturesque ruins are now a regional tourist attraction.
A beautiful day relaxing on College Green St Mary's Anglican Church in the former Durham mining village of Horden celebrated it's centenary on Friday 26th of April 2013. The painting was commissioned by Reverend Father Kevin Smith and the Church Council to permanently mark the event and was unveiled by the Bishops of Jarrow and Beverley. The entrance to College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists. This former palace, situated on
the hill below Prague Castle, is now the
Italian Embassy.
The painting is one of two shortlisted in the 2016 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition.

This anti-room to the former palazzo, (now restaurant) was open to the street. I couldn't resist walking in to gawp at the two wonderful chinese vases on display. 

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 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. 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.

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

Stunning baroque architecture meets the eye around every corner in the beautiful city of Verona.

Verona, The Searchers.
Watercolour
Size: size 480 x 320mm
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I was fascinated by this giant mechanism during a trip up the Thames in 2019.

The Thames Barrier
Watercolour
Size: 290mm x 210mm
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