A man walks near a boat which has capsized due to strong winds in Istanbul on November 30, 2021. Strong winds continue to blow across Istanbul where the Bosphorus strait is temporarily closed to boat traffic. Four people were killed and dozens injured on Monday in Istanbul, which was hit by high winds. (Photo by Yasin Akgul/AFP Photo)

Elementary school sumo wrestler Kyuta Kumagai competes in a sumo ring at a regional tournament of Junior Olympic Cup All-Japan Elementary School Sumo Championship in Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Japan, October 17, 2021. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

People walk as snow falls in a main street in Jerusalem, 17 February 2021. Israeli Forecasters and the Meteorological Service ex​pect snow fall in Jerusalem. (Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA/EFE)

Artists perform during the 137th Nice Carnival parade in Nice, southeastern France, on February 19, 2022. The Carnival takes place until February 27, 2022 on the theme “King of animals”. (Photo by Valery Hache/AFP Photo)

A competitor in the carting category of the Henrik Sečnik dog mushing race in Hraše, Slovenia on April 8, 2024. Over 100 dogs and their owners from Slovenia and abroad competed in the 10th edition of this international race. (Photo by Luka Dakskobler/SOPA Images/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A general view shows smoke and volcanic ashes billowing from volcano Cotopaxi in Pedregal, Ecuador, late 07 October 2015. (Photo by Jose Jacome/EPA)

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)