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)

Participants run through the streets of the Back Bay during the 16th annual Santa Speedo Run in Boston, Massachusetts, December 12, 2015. (Photo by Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Participant Elena Tsagrinou of Cyprus performs during first semi-final of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands on May 18, 2021. (Photo by Piroschka Van de Wouw/Reuters)

This jaw-dropping footage shows one brave diver getting up close and personal with a group of sharks as he feeds them a long-awaited meal. Ken Kiefer from Houston, Texas captured his friend, Jake, reaching right into the mouth of a hammerhead. (Photo by Ken Kiefer/Caters News Agency)

American socialite Kylie Jenner shows off her summer bikini style with friends in the second decade of June 2024. (Photo by kyliejenner/Instagram)

Canadian actress Nina Dobrev takes her injured leg to Jessica Szohr’s bachelorette party early July 2024. (Photo by nina/Instagram)

A woman swings on a swing in Venao beach in Pedasi, Panama, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Photo by Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)

An anti-government protester, dressed as Barbie holding a fake gun, takes part in a demonstration demanding that Peruvian President Dina Boluarte call for immediate presidential elections as well as justice for those who were killed during protests earlier this year after the ouster of her predecessor, in Lima, Peru, Saturday, July 22, 2023. (Photo by Martin Mejia/AP Photo)