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 main door to the Cathedral adorned with an exact replica of the world famous medieval Sanctury Knocker This folly once belonged to Polish born 'Count' Joseph Boruwlaski (1739-1837) a dwarf musician who entertained much of european aristocracy in his lifetime ending his days in Durham City and being buried in the Cathedral. A life size statue of him and various personal effects are kept in The Town Hall. This pine wood forms the backdrop to the artist's garden. Looking up as I always do when walking around a great city, this otherwise ignored facade captured my imagination and became one of two shortlisted in the 2016 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition. 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 entrance to College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists. The Cathedral Central Tower can be seen behind the Church of St Mary's The Less which was founded in 1140 and was principally for the soldiers of the garrison which manned the city walls. 16thc Horden Hall looms over the once thriving farm buildings. 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 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. 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. This the third of the Villa Cimbrone paintings depicts a sunny hidden cloister with charming twisted columns. The picturesque Old Mill Hotel stands adjacent to Bathampton Toll Bridge on the River Avon 3 miles from Bath. The bridge is one of only a handfull still operational in the country.

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 medieval Elvet bridge built in 1160 by Bishop Hugh de Puiset.

Elvet Bridge, Durham City
Sepia watercolour over black ink.
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The ancient medieval arched entrance to the College an area behind the Cathedral which is the home of the clergy and the Chorister School. Part of the 2014 Durham Cathedral Exhibition.

College Gateway Durham City.
Sepia watercolour over black ink.
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