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. The magnificent central tower is 218 feet in height and here set against a darkened evening winter sky. The majestic Cathedral looms over visitors to the Castle Founded by Elizabeth the First in 1571 for the education of the clergy, the College alumni include T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and twice British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson . 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.
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. 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 view of the Cathedral most often overlooked by tourists and visitors. This commissioned painting was produced to commemorate the passing of a Durham man who's ashes were deposited in the river in 2019. I consider this my take on Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. 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. 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. Short summary of Oxford The steep access on Owengate offers the visitor the first glimpse of the majestic Cathedral.

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

Elvet Bridge at dusk Durham City
watercolour
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