Los Angeles native Mike Stilkey has always been attracted to painting and drawing not only on vintage paper, record covers and book pages, but on the books themselves. Using a mix of ink, colored pencil, paint and lacquer, Stilkey depicts a melancholic and at times a whimsical cast of characters inhabiting ambiguous spaces and narratives of fantasy and fairy tales. A lingering sense of loss and longing hints at emotional depth and draws the viewer into their introspective thrall with a mixture of capricious poetry, wit, and mystery. (Photo by Mike Stilkey)

A sifaka lemur eats leaves at the Berenty Reserve in Toliara province, Madagascar, February 15, 2022. (Photo by Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters)

Indian security personnel adjust a uniform during full-dress rehearsal ahead of the 74th Republic day celebrations in Bangalore, India, 24 January 2023. The Republic Day of India marks the adoption of the constitution of India and the transition of the country to a Republic on 26 January 1950. (Photo by Jagadeesh N.V./EPA/EFE)

A woman visits the exhibition “Pop Air” at the Balloon Museum in Madrid, Spain, 22 March 2023. The exhibition, dedicated to balloons and inflatable arts, opened to the public in Madrid on 18 March and runs through 23 July 2023. (Photo by Alejandro Lopez/EPA)

Squirrels are seen on a tree branch at a park as temperatures rise with the arrival of spring season in Ankara, Turkiye on March 27, 2024. (Photo by Evrim Aydin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A man wearing a mask walks past the “Christmas Cab” sculpture displayed along Fifth Avenue on December 02, 2020 in New York City. The annual Holiday Sculptures display is organized by the Fifth Avenue Association and consist of 10 sculptures that runs from 50th Street to 59th Street. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Steven Tyler of the musical group Aerosmith, perform at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, January 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

A view through mist shows the Kirk of Saint Mary Magdalene in Primorsk, Leningrad Region, Russia on March 24, 2019. (Photo by Anton Vaganov/Reuters)