The ancient water tower is in the foreground with the arched entrance to the Choristers School behind.
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.
A homàge to Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Wedding Feast,  this painting is loosely based upon the National Trust's Stourhead Estate in Wiltshire.
The entrance to the castle on a bright autumn afternoon. 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. St Mary's Anglican Church in the former Durham mining village of Horden celebrated it's centenary on Friday 26th of April 2013. The painting was commissioned by Reverend Father Kevin Smith and the Church Council to permanently mark the event and was unveiled by the Bishops of Jarrow and Beverley. 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. I was fascinated by this giant mechanism during a trip up the Thames in 2019. The medieval rose window as seen from the Bailey was installed by the Architect James Wyatt in the 18th century ostensibly to replace an original 13th century example. Visitors linger on the snow covered green as light fades. The entrance to College Green, an area behind Durham Cathedral mostly overlooked by tourists. This pine wood forms the backdrop to the artist's garden. 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.

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. 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.

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 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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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.

Cow Byers
Watercolour
Size: 450mm x 330mm
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