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'. 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. A meeting place for locals, tourists and bikers alike, the square which is surrounded with a pleasing mix of architectural styles, is the hub of this thriving Swaledale market town. This interesting bay window faces onto Palace Green. 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. This commissioned painting was produced to commemorate the passing of a Durham man who's ashes were deposited in the river in 2019. A fisherman mending baskets watched by his young protegè on the island of Skiathos in Greece. I find the doorways on Owengate incredibly attractive especially on a fine summers day when an adjacent tree casts deep shade across the scene. So much so in fact, that this is at least the third Owengate painting to date. The metal table and chairs here set for tea, are those depicted in my homage to Van Gogh. Short summary of Durham Castle 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 was fascinated by this giant mechanism during a trip up the Thames in 2019. The top of this truncated lane exits onto Palace Green. A beautiful day relaxing on College Green I cut my artistic teeth painting and drawing trees. This view of the West Towers offered a great opportunity to enjoy myself painting them lit by the dying winter sun. A scene reminiscent of Jan Bruegel's famous Hunters in The Snow. One of my all time favourite paintings.

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

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.

Raby Castle, County Durham.
Watercolour
Size: 635 x 440mm
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The ancient water tower is in the foreground with the arched entrance to the Choristers School behind.

The College
Sepia watercolour over black ink.
Size: 395 x 285 mm, 610 x 495 mm o/a.
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