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)

In this May 8, 2015 photo, sisters Zoraida Infante, left, and Graciela Trujillo pray on Fishermen's Beach before therapeutic swimming in the Pacific Ocean in Lima, Peru. Under overcast skies, the bathers practice thalassotherapy, which derives from the Greek “thalasso”, for “sea”, and draws on the ocean's healing properties. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

In this February 19, 2017 photo, a couple dances during the “If you don't give me....then you lend me” Carnival street party on Ipanema beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The typical view of Carnival in Brazil is anything goes, with no headdress too big, no outfit too small, no song too ribald, but this year some organizers of the world's best known party are drawing the line at lyrics that are sexist, homophobic or racist. (Photo by Silvia Izquierdo/AP Photo)

Two female revelers engage in a beer drinking contest in the Hacker Pschorr tent on the first day of the 2017 Oktoberfest beer fest on September 16, 2017 in Munich, Germany. Oktoberfest is the world's largest beer celebration and typically draws over six million visitors over its three-week run. Oktoberfest includes massive beer tents, each run by a different Bavarian brewer, as well as amusement rides and activities. (Photo by Philipp Guelland/Getty Images)

Palestinians scuffle with Israeli forces at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on December 8, 2017. Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces after calls for a “day of rage” as US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital sent shockwaves through the region for a second day. (Photo by Thomas Coex/AFP Photo)

A man with an American flag on his back and a Biden/Harris campaign flag rides an electronic skateboard through Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House on Election Day, November 3, 2020 in Washington, DC. This year's historic presidential election between President Donald Trump, the incumbent, and Democratic nominee Joe Biden begins to come to a close even though final results are not expected for days to come as states take longer to count historic levels of mail-in ballots. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) right, embraces Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). Four Democratic progressive Congresswomen make a statement during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 15, 2019 in Washington, DC about President Trump's remarks telling them to “ego back” to their home countries which they deemed “eblatantly racist” attacks. (Photo by Carol Guzy/Imago Images/ZUMA Press)

A child watches as an adult poses for a photograph while holding a Thompson AR-15 rifle, which is inscribed with the likeness of former US President Donald Trump at the Tommy Gun Warehouse during the annual Rod of Iron Freedom Festival in Greeley, Pennsylvania, 07 October 2023. The festival is one of the the largest open carry festivals celebrating the 2nd Amendment in North America. (Photo by Will Oliver/EPA)