Marta Barnes of Studio Barn Owl is a Montreal author & illustrator working in traditional and digital media to create whimsical art for both kids and adults. Using watercolours, ink, and gouche to weave visual storytelling techniques with a patchwork aesthetic inspired by her various travels around the world. Her indie publications include two books (The Found Book of Losst, a series of interconnected stories about misunderstood monsters, and 31 Palaeo Pals, a children’s book about obscure palaeontology) and one zine (Views from Isolation, illustrating people’s global experience of the pandemic). She also sells art prints, greeting cards, and vinyl stickers, which are available at various shops around Québec. She’s particularly interested in using her art to explore the relationship between the human condition and the natural world.