Something we’ve always been particularly proud of at High Living is our distinctive artwork. The picture of Wood Street looking towards the High Street was created specially for us by local artist and travel specialist Dan Wrightson.

Dan grew up in Tuscany and studied architecture at university at Cambridge, Sheffield and Rome and his paintings focus on buildings and landscapes with the timeless quality of the Grand Tourists of the 18th and 19th century. He generally paints in watercolours and in a single sitting, so the works have a feeling of spontaneity to them, offering a private glimpse of a special place.

Dan’s mother established holiday villa specialist, Invitation to Tuscany and he started depicting Tuscan scenes in 1980 at the age of 13 to help illustrate the brochure. Dan now runs the company handling properties in Italy and France and these countries continue to inspire him, along with Barnet where he lives with his young family.

The pictures graphically demonstrate how if you look away from the modern facias and unsightly traffic, historic features reveal themselves and start telling the story of a place. With our busy routines and digital distractions, it’s too easy to gloss over the fascinating layers of history that create a place and give it its unique character and, unlike a photograph, an artwork allows you to appreciate particular details.

Dan’s pictures of Chipping Barnet really do bring out the beauty of the town and its scenic location and if you fancy being transported to Italy or France, you can do that too – both figuratively and literally. The carefully curated selection of stunning properties all reflect a love of art and architecture like this gorgeous apartment in Florence, this striking tower house or this beauty near Perugia, although this absolute stunner might be my favourite. Click away and be happily transported on a chilly winter day.