One of 3 new works for 2021 depicting this villa most famous for the A list celebrities who have visited it over many years. These include Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo and T S Eliot. However, my wife and I traveled there on the strength of seeing the villa depicted on The Trip to Italy with comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. This giant water wheel is part of the Killhope Lead Mining Museum located in the North Pennines area of County Durham. At one time in the late 19th century, the mine was one of the most productive in Britain. Little did my patron realise when commissioning the painting, that in another life, I was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of the museum's visitor centre. 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 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. Everything about Girona Cathedral is an inspiration, not least this glorious doorway! 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. 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.
I was fascinated by this giant mechanism during a trip up the Thames in 2019. 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. 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 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.
Short summary of Castle Keep 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.
Short summary of Durham Cathedral from Court Inn The granddaughter of a close friend.

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

This is the wonderful view with our backs to the  door of St Marti Sacosta. It gave immense pleasure to paint the ancient and somewhat crumbling stonework to the buildings either side of the steps and the people enjoying lunch at the restaurant below.

Pujada Di Sant Domenec, Girona Spain.
Watercolour
Size: 377mm x 508mm
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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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