Bermudian artist's second book and, in the words of Mr. Tom Butterfield in his Foreword to this latest volume, "extends the voyage that his first book, `Bermudian Images', began.'' Mr. Stuart agrees, pointing out that while he still likes to paint Bermuda's architecture, the emphasis has undergone a subtle change over the past decade.

He explains that when he first began his meteoric rise in the local art world, his visual realism, achieved through sharp delineation and painstakingly brushed detail, led to many commissions for architectural paintings.

Mr. Stuart's popularity with Bermudians owed much to the fact that his paintings of Bermuda's architectural heritage struck a chord of nostalgia and it is probably true to say that this young artist was at least partly responsible for the recent surge of interest in preserving that heritage.

Right from the start, Bruce Stuart revealed that he had an "inquisitive'' eye that sought out the unusual angle -- the slant of a shutter, the thrust of a curling gable.

Since those earlier days, his style has softened and as he describes it, he now concentrates more on "a sense of place'' than detail of place.

"This book is where my heart is,'' he proclaims. "I'm interested in the play of shapes, the fascination of the corner of the yard rather than the whole yard. Most of my paintings are devoid of people, but there is a sense of human activity, of people who have just been there.'' This aspect of his work is seen in several of the studies in his new book, perhaps most strikingly in The Wash Room, which records a patch in the middle of the door, worn from years of constant shouldering by the woman as she struggles with a heavy basket of laundry; the scratches on the lower edge obviously belong to her dog.

The 75 plates, all in full colour, are accompanied by a text by Daniel Dempster, who is also an artist. The two became friends when Mr. Dempster returned to the Island from university in Canada in 1991.

"I think he's done a very good job,'' says Mr. Stuart, "We got to know each other through talking about art and I helped him hang his first show at the Bacardi Building. So I decided to ask him to write the text and, in fact, Dan also laid out the order of the book.'' Beneath each picture is a short description, often with quotes from the artist explaining why he felt moved to paint a particular scene.

The message that comes strongly through in these captions is Mr. Stuart's desire to preserve and honour the past. "When people look at my pictures they are, in a certain way, ushered into the lives of the people who live there, or have lived there. I want people to feel the atmosphere of a place, to feel a sense of nostalgia.'' He goes on to explain that this sentiment plays "a big part'' in his work, taking people back to where they grew up, where they played as children.

In his opinion, this is achieved, not so much by the grandeur of the facade but by the "nooks and crannies, the intrigue of textures, light and shadows on objects that we usually take for granted.'' His artistic aims are perhaps best summed up in a quote from his book where he says, "One of the things I try to do is to take common scenes and, by painting them, make them special.'' Mr. Stuart hardly needs to draw our attention to the fact that he usually finds the back of a house especially intriguing. "The front is more like the house's Sunday best. It is in the back that the real living leaves its evidence in random order.'' He points out that while this is obviously an art book, it is also full of little vignettes of historical interest. Unfortunately, some of the vistas that have provided subjects for Mr. Stuart's brush have already passed into history. So his work has also provided both a warning for buildings or open spaces in danger, or a lament for those that are destroyed. Such is the case, for instance, with his picture of the Victoria Bar on Court Street. Shortly after he completed his painting, the building was torn down and another part of old Bermuda had suddenly gone.

In this book, Bruce Stuart includes a painting which has a very special meaning for him. It is a view of the verandah of Bridge House, in St.

George's.

"I wanted to pay tribute to Allan Smith, who died last year. He was my friend and neighbour for seven years in St. George's. He would bring friends in to see my work and they would buy paintings. So I've included this picture of his porch and the open gate which I think captures the feeling of welcome in his house. This is just a personal little `thank you' to him as a great supporter of the arts.'' Mr. Stuart readily admits that the American artist, Andrew Wyeth, had a big influence on his work.

"I had taken an art course at college and my teacher painted like Wyeth -- though I didn't realise that at the time. It was only in '79 or '80, that I became aware of Wyeth's connection with Bermuda. Then there was that heritage show that spawned Masterworks and a Wyeth scene of Bermuda was on loan. I had two paintings in that show and I thought what a tremendous honour it was to hang with Wyeth! His work has fascinated me ever since.'' The `Art of Bruce Stuart' is on sale at $58.50, with ten percent of the proceeds going to the Masterworks Foundation. There is also a limited edition at $110, which includes a signed and numbered print of his boat study, entitled Grounded.

Mr. Stuart will be holding a book-signing at Masterworks on Front Street today, tomorrow and Thursday between 12 and 2 p.m. and at The Bookmart on Friday and Saturday between 11 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.

The book is also on sale at the National Gallery, The Windjammer, Bermuda Bookstore, A.S. Cooper & Sons, Washington Mall Magazines, The Book Rack and at the Bridge House Gallery at St. George's.

THE LOOK OF BERMUDA -- The popular Bermudian artist has just published the second book featuring his Bermuda-theme paintings, entitled `The Art of Bruce Stuart'.