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. The entrance to the castle on a bright autumn afternoon. Passengers of a gondola being entertained by a singer and his accordionist. I remember as a small child seeing young calves with noses pressed hard against the red painted slats and my dad demonstrating how they would suckle if offered fingers instead of teats. I can't remember if I was brave enough to take up the challenge, but the event stuck in my mind. I consider this my take on Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. 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. Membership of the Historic Houses Association does have it's benefits when you've nothing to do over a long weekend. The ancestral home of the Barnard family captured my imagination on a visit in 2017 and I could hardly wait to get it on paper once home. The ancient water tower is in the foreground with the arched entrance to the Choristers School behind. The top of this truncated lane exits onto Palace Green. This Venetian church which lies in the cestiere Cannaregio was founded in the 10th century. Part of the 2014 Durham Cathedral exhibition. 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. The north facing Cathedral door features an exact replica of the bronze Sanctuary Knocker which is normally part of the Cathedral Treasures display but is currently part of the Royal Academy's 'Bronze' exhibition which will run until December 8th. This the third of the Villa Cimbrone paintings depicts a sunny hidden cloister with charming twisted columns.

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 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.

Durham Cathedral Chorister School
Watercolour
Size: 700mm x 425mm wide
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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.

Durham Cathedral, St Mary's The Less
watercolour
Size:
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