The main door to the Cathedral adorned with an exact replica of the world famous medieval Sanctury Knocker 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. A homàge to Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Wedding Feast, this painting is loosely based upon the National Trust's Stourhead Estate in Wiltshire. A gift to a close friend to commemorate his 25 years service in the Anglican Church. 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. Located at the West end of the Cathedral, it's design is heavily influenced by Islamic architecture. This giant water wheel is part of the Killhope Lead Mining Museum located in the North Pennines area of County Durham. At one time in the late 19th century, the mine was one of the most productive in Britain. Little did my patron realise when commissioning the painting, that in another life, I was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of the museum's visitor centre. One of my very rare forays into portraiture. 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. In reality this view is obscured by trees. The towers of the north transept would therefore not be visible without the judicious application of 'Artistic Licence'. The medieval Elvet bridge built in 1160 by Bishop Hugh de Puiset. A beautiful day relaxing on College Green The entrance to College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists. 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.

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 granddaughter of a close friend.

Phoebe
Watercolour
Size: 180mm x 260mm
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This lovely church lies on the opposite bank of the River Wear to Durham Cathedral which can be viewed from this spot during winter months.

St Oswalds Durham City
Watercolour
Size: ...
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