The work of artist Brian Keith Stephens is featured in an exhibition running through May 9 at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London.

"Almost True Tales" explores the artist’s fascination with animals as mythic symbols across time and culture.

Spread throughout three galleries, "Almost True Tales" features 18 large works of art. In vibrant, figurative paintings, Stephens draws on legends, fables and folk tales from around the world to invest his animal subjects with meaning and emotion, revealing a common cultural language that resonates with children and adults alike.

“Growing up in Connecticut, I have always found animals as a vessel for depicting human emotion; I believe in many ways animals are capable of expressing human emotions in a way that is both understandable, mysterious and alluring,” says Stephens. “At the center of my work and life are these fascinations with myth, the spectrum of human passion, our kinship to the spirit of the wild animal, and the challenges of balancing the real with the fanciful. My art has been and continues to be my outlet for exploring these themes and conjuring up new ones."

The Lyman Allyn is located at 625 Williams St., New London. The museum is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. and 1-5 p.m. Sun. Last admission is 4 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for students, $7 for active military personnel, and free for kids under 12, for members and for New London residents. Call (860) 443-2545 or visit lymanallyn.org.