An innovative artist who explored various media in work distinguished by bright colours and experimentation saw himself as “a beacon always pointing to Bermuda”, from his other home in Mexico.

Bruce Stuart, a former president of the Bermuda Society of Arts, lived since 2006 with his wife, Claudia, in San Miguel de Allende — a picturesque city long known as a haven for artists.

He fell in love with Mexican culture and enjoyed the old city’s relaxed lifestyle, telling The Royal Gazette in a 2014 interview that its rural touches reminded him of his grandmother’s backyard in Bermuda.

Mr Stuart said: “Being away from Bermuda has opened more of the world of art to me. It has give me a freedom to play in more mediums and styles and mix in more cultural references.

“One of my works in Mexico is the San Miguel de Allende night-time series. The series is a reflection of my first night in San Miguel and all the magic I felt wandering the golden cobblestone streets.”

He added: “Bermuda is now working back into my work. I keep returning to it in different styles to see what happens.

“I am not so distracted here by things like politics and the stress of hurricanes, and I have done a lot of artwork.

“In Bermuda, there is a lot of pressure to go out all the time. Here, if you don’t go out for a couple of days, you don’t miss anything. The pace of life is very slow.”

Mr Stuart started out without much formal training, painting Bermuda cottages and scenes inspired by a childhood largely spent outdoors.

As his technique developed, demand for his work soared. He branched out into myriad styles, including a wide variety of jewellery.

He created a sensation in the early 1980s with shows that quickly sold out — including one at the Windjammer Gallery where everything reportedly got purchased within 12 minutes of opening.

Working in sculpture and collage as well as painting and photography, Mr Stuart signed his pieces with a fish symbol as a testament to his Christian faith. He attended St John’s Church in Pembroke from childhood.

Mr Stuart’s art featured in countless exhibitions on the island and a range of overseas galleries.

He produced posters and prints as well as Christmas cards, and his books included Bermudian Images, published in 1989, and The Art of Bruce Stuart, produced three years later.

He took deep inspiration from the arts community he found in Mexico after a 1996 trip there, which was partially sponsored by the Bermuda Arts Council.

“I’m getting more colour into my work,” he told the Mid-Ocean News in 1997. “Colour speaks light. You're trying to paint light and the only way to do it is to use colour, because light reflects colour.

“With my traditional work, you look at it and you're there, but with the use of colour and quick gestures, I'm trying to get away from that.

“What I'm doing is almost like a motion picture of a still painting.”

The BSOA hailed Mr Stuart as “a truly remarkable man” who brought “a fresh vision to the gallery” during his tenure from the late 1990s until 25 years ago.

“Bruce was not only one of Bermuda's most talented artists but also a generous spirit who gave so much to our community,” said Nzingha Ming, the gallery director

She highlighted Mr Stuart’s flair for creating partnerships and introducing “groundbreaking ideas”, including blending technological tools with traditional creativity.

Ms Ming added: “His incredible talent, his kindness and his thoughtful nature will be deeply missed by all of us who had the privilege of knowing him.

“We are so thankful to his family. His artistic legacy and his inspiring spirit will live on for ever at the gallery and in our hearts.”

Life in Mexico, where Mr Stuart and his late wife adopted a local boy, enabled him to pursue his creativity unencumbered by the more commercial aspects of what he was known for in Bermuda, such as his house portraits.

His fascination with Bermudian architecture included sculptures. He also enjoyed painting panoramic scenes of the island.

His wife’s work included making jewellery, and Mr Stuart made regular trips back to the island to sell his creations.

He treasured his Bermuda roots, describing himself as “a Bermudian art ambassador, a beacon always pointing to Bermuda”.

Mr Stuart had an eye for unusual objects, which included a collection of thousands of illustrated matchbook covers from the island and abroad.

The old covers depicted a wide range of landmark establishments and scenes from bygone times.

He told the Gazette: “I started when I was about 10. I used to walk from my parents' house in Fairylands to my granny's in Paget.

“Like any typical little boy, I would pick up every bit of junk from the road along the way. Even then, I liked small images.

“It started with matchbook covers, and it stuck with me all my life. It was a neat way of collecting graphic images, but on a very tiny scale.”

Mr Stuart recalled a childhood reminiscent of Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer stories, and described “playing in the caves and all this daredevil diving into six feet of water from 30 or 50ft cliffs”.

He added: “We would explore all the way along the coast from Spanish Point to Admiralty House, and we would wait for this cruise boat to come in from Hamilton.

“We would dive overboard when it arrived and then three of us would be allowed to ride on the front of the boat and go to Clarence Cove and the coves off Deep Bay where we would dive over again, climb up the cliffs and dive down for coins — and generally entertain the tourists.

“We would do this all summer, so when I go back there to paint it's quite an emotional thing.”

Mr Stuart happily shared his insights with other artists, including children.

He said he wanted to “encourage artists to ascertain more about themselves — look, learn, listen”.

“I want artists everywhere to find comfortable, happy planes of expression and go with it.”

At a retrospective of his work held in 2005 at the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, Mr Stuart looked back on his career.

He told the Gazette just ahead of opening night: “It’s the first time I’ve looked at it chronologically.

“I’m so happy and pleased and astounded, at the growth that did happen. When you’re in the moment, you never think that you’re growing.

“You’re always thinking you’re stuck, you can’t break through. So you just plod ahead — and then all of a sudden …”

Bruce William Stuart, one of the island’s most prominent and prolific artists and a former president of the Bermuda Society of Arts, was born on April 26, 1953. He died in August 2025, aged 72