Passengers of a gondola being entertained by a singer and his accordionist.
This folly once belonged to Polish born 'Count' Joseph Boruwlaski (1739-1837) a dwarf musician who entertained much of european aristocracy in his lifetime ending his days in Durham City and being buried in the Cathedral. A life size statue of him and various personal effects are kept in The Town Hall. The magnificent castle and Cathedral dominate the skyline above the river on a bitterly cold winters day. 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 medieval Elvet bridge built in 1160 by Bishop Hugh de Puiset. The main door to the Cathedral adorned with an exact replica of the world famous medieval Sanctury Knocker 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. Gondola stations adjacent to the Piazza San Marco, rarely observed without the tourist hoardes.
The magnificent early 18thc classical interior of the Great Hall, The Queen's College Oxford. This commissioned painting was produced to commemorate the passing of a Durham man who's ashes were deposited in the river in 2019. Just around the corner from The Pantheon, people stream back to their accommodation as evening light fades.
A beautiful day relaxing on College Green Bow Lane is reputed to be the route that William the Conqueror took when leaving the city after visiting the coffin of Saint Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral. At that time it lead down to a ford across the River Wear, but now leads to Kingsgate Bridge, a superbly elegant concrete structure designed by Ove Arup and completed in 1963. The entrance to College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists. 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.

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

My wife and I celebrated a recent wedding anniversary with a river trip to see the Thames Barrier. On our way, I was fascinated by the relationship between these two iconic structures.

The Millenium Bridge and St. Paul's, London.
Watercolour
Size: 315 x 335mm.
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I loved my original version of this painting so much, that I decided to give it another go in order to kick start a new series for my 2016 exhibition.

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Misericordia, Venice.
Watercolour
Size: 335 x 315mm
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