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. Stunning baroque architecture meets the eye around every corner in the beautiful city of Verona. Short summary of Castle Keep Crossing the river Avon, Pulteney bridge designed by Robert Adam was completed in 1773. It is one of only four bridges in the world having shops across the full span on either side of the bridge thoroughfare. This former palace, situated on the hill below Prague Castle, is now the Italian Embassy. The painting is one of two shortlisted in the 2016 Sunday Times Watercolour Competition. I was fascinated by this giant mechanism during a trip up the Thames in 2019. 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. Just around the corner from The Pantheon, people stream back to their accommodation as evening light fades. 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 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. One of the jewels of Oxford, the Clarendon was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and built between 1711 and 1713 to house the Oxford University Press. The building lies adjacent the Sheldonian Theatre which was designed by Hawkmoor's mentor and tutor Sir Christopher Wren. Gondola stations adjacent to the Piazza San Marco, rarely observed without the tourist hoardes. We came across this famous North Norfolk structure whilst laying the ground for a commissioned painting of the Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in 2017. However the dramatic sky-scape was inspired by a previous visit, whilst motoring from Ely to Cromer across outherwise featureless open fenland. An apocalyptic storm was brewing some distance away across ploughed fields and I pulled over to enjoy the spectacle and take a few snaps. The billowing clouds had yet to touch the ground and a bright strip of sky formed a band across the horizon. These storms are a feature of the Norfolk landscape and I couldn't resist using what I'd seen to add drama to the Cley painting. 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. I enjoy replicating the pattern of shadows in strong sunlight.

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

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.

Durham Cathedral West Towers
Watercolour
Size: 435mm x 290mm
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This church with it's Romanesque tower dating back to the 13th century, sits at the highest elevation in the village. The covered seating gives shelter and great views down the coast to Teesport to the weary traveller.

St Mary the Virgin Easington Village, County Durham.
Watercolour
Size: size unrecorded
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