of Arts Small Gallery, City Hall.

Dana Cooper's exhibit of fairytale images and dreamy realism creates a gentle sanctuary for viewers wanting to escape life's fast pace. The Bermudian illustrator's storybook reflections and recordings of nostalgic days, presented in her Whimsical Palette collection, takes viewers on a journey that stimulates the imagination and is guaranteed to please the souls of adults who yearn for those simpler childhood days.

Ms Cooper's exquisitely presented group of some 40 etchings and watercolours, on display in the Bermuda Society of Arts Small Gallery, should not be missed.

Unfortunately, the show ends today, but seeing them is worth the effort, for this artist's skill is something that both adults and children will appreciate. Certainly, etchings are an uncommon medium employed by local artists, and this collection is a testimony to the way they reflect this artist's boundless creative capacity.

She has used a variety of fine hand-made papers, including birchwood and Indian paper, which offset the etchings perfectly. Their unfinished edges add much to the end result, which are elegantly framed in simple light mouldings.

The painstakingly crafted small etchings (some are less than two-square inches) are filled with minute details, and demand careful observation. Ms Cooper is a master of the medium, having studied the art of etching at the prestigious National Academy of Design in the United States after graduating from Parsons School of Design in New York City. In this show, she blends precise technical skill with sensitive observations of the world, sharing some of her diverse interests. Apart from Bermuda, the line-up of images includes scenes of Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. They capture a range of situations, and a variety of vignettes that are both realistic and imaginative.

`Elephants' is just one etching that compels the viewer to stand close to appreciate the protective mother who dwarfs an infant standing beneath her tummy. The mood that Ms Cooper captures in the larger `Alley/St. George's' is reminiscent of days gone by, when life on the rock was simpler and more relaxed. Architectural details of Bermudian rooflines and windows are plentiful, but it is the people in this scene -- a mother who holds the hand of a small child as the two walk up a tranquil byway -- that are focal point of these Old World surroundings.

Pleasing, too, are the hand-coloured etchings. The introduction of soft pastels to the engraved images enhances the story-book images that this award-winning book illustrator presents. Of note is the tiny `Sunset', which depicts an orange sky over a seemingly endless seascape, as seen through a stage-like setting of Greek columns that are graced with potted palms. It is a world away, and is one of those scenes that one wishes were outside the back door. In one of the display cases is another gem -- `L' -- which shows this letter in the alphabet interwoven with an angel riding a duck across the water. Nearby are two hand-bound editions of Dana Cooper's `My Bermuda ABC', for which she received honours in the US by winning the Edward Mooney Award, a travelling scholarship.

Dramatic is `Japanese Angel' -- a careful rendering of a serene and graceful winged occidental spirit floating through a darkened sky that is punctuated with glowing stars under a full moon. Its dreamy effect is magnificent, creating an imaginary world that would entice many an adult to reach into the past to recall pleasurable bedtime stories.

`Cows' is a whimsical look at a group of many people's farm favourites. They gaze out from their papered existence, compelling the viewer to take a closer look. They are beautifully framed with foliage that is intricately etched around them.

The carefully crafted borders around some of these etchings beautifully offset the main subject, as in `Martinique Whale'. An oar, dividers for navigation, an oarlock entwined with rope, a flag and cartographic details sit on the outside of the whale hunting scene, which includes a rowboat with hunters, a dramatic row of waves next to the mighty mammal, and a dolphin springing out of the water. It's a piece out of history, really, and it is refreshing to see such it rendered with such graceful imagination.

Some lively, bright colours appear in her `Palm'. Simple strokes of varying greens represent the tree's foliage, and hints of purple create a surrealistic air, the whole being bordered by a series of simple brush strokes on the Indian paper.

Having illustrated two children's books over the past several years, Ms Cooper has included some of the larger works created for the `Rainbow' book. All are bold and bright watercolours, demonstrating the artist's diversity and ability to work in an entirely different medium. Complete with printer's proof instructions and other important marks needed in the book production process, each would be a perfect gift for a child's bedroom. Particularly wonderful is the illustration of the swirling undersea world of fish under the scrutiny of the main cat character (Bellsie) who has donned snorkelling gear to take a closer look.

The variety and subject matter covered in this exhibition stimulate the imagination and revitalise the many fantasies that every adult once enjoyed and somehow left behind in childhood. It evokes many pleasurable moments, and creates new memories that one may have wished had been in existence since childhood.

JUDITH WADSON