Visitors linger on the snow covered green as light fades. The Chorister School is situated within The College on the East side of the Cathedral. The School celebrated it's 600th anniversary in 2016 and this painting was commissioned by the then head teacher Yvette Day to mark the event and hangs in the main hall.
I consider this my take on Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. My wife and I have enjoyed two short breaks in Siena in recent years, attracted by the undeniably beauty of the architecture which surprises the visitor at every turn. 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. 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.
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. 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. A Cornish fishing village, Mevagissey now derives most of it's income from tourism. The brightly coloured vessels in it's harbour, the narrow winding streets and the stunning coastline being the obvious attractions.
This the Second of the Villa Cimbrone paintings depicts the Temple of Ceres leading to the Belvedere  or so called Terrace of Infinity which has magnificent views of the Amalfi coast. Opened in 1966 the Grade 1 listed structure designed by Sir Ove Arup, links the historic peninsular to Dunelm House on Old Elvet. 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 River Wear slides slowly bye rowing club pontoons whilst wood smoke curls upwards from burning logs. 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. I wanted to paint this view of Elvet bridge from Prince Bishop's Car Park for ages and only it's complexity put me off, though eventually I couldn't resist the challenge. Short summary of Oxford

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

Visitors linger on the snow covered green as light fades.

The Cathedral at dusk from Palace Green
watercolour
Size:
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This the Second of the Villa Cimbrone paintings depicts the Temple of Ceres leading to the Belvedere  or so called Terrace of Infinity which has magnificent views of the Amalfi coast.

Villa Cimbrone, Ravello, Italy.
Watercolour
Size: size 440 x 290mm
» More Info