Island Museum of Art presents illustrations from The Land of Smaerd, a newly published children’s book by authors Angela Russell and Andrea von Botefuhr, painted by San Juan Island artist Bryn Barnard.

The show will run from August 12 through September 12, with an opening reception on Friday, August 15 at 5 p.m. Bryn Barnard will be present at the opening, to sign the book.

The Land of Smaerd (dreams spelled backwards) is a story about a world where all things are possible; an unlimited realm where dreams, constructed through pure imagination, take shape and unfold as reality.

Local artist Bryn Barnard has been called “one of the masters of science fiction art” by the Christian Science Monitor. A multi-talented artist, he has painted historical reconstructions for the National Geographic Society, documented the U.S. space program for NASA, and created over 200 feet of murals for Children’s Hospital in Seattle.  

As illustrator and author of Outbreak and Dangerous Planet, both published by Crown, Bryn’s work has been called “engrossing” by the Wall Street Journal and “part Jared Diamond … part Stephen Jay Gould” by the New York Times. He lives with his family on San Juan Island.

Island Museum of Art is part of the Westcott Bay Institute of San Juan Island and is located in Friday Harbor at 314 Spring Street. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 11-5.

For more information: 360-370-5050 or www.westcottbay.org.