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)

“Sperm whale opening it's huge mouth, Ogasawara Islands, Japan. Sperm whales are the biggest carnivorous animals on the planet. Each teeth in the mouth of adult specimen weights more than 1 kilogram. Interestingly enough that modern marine biologists believe that these teeth despite being fearsome play little role in capturing and eating giant squid – with their main function being mainly ritual aggression between males!”. (Photo by Alexander Safonov)

Labourers load a three-wheeled vehicle onto the back of a van at the Mercato market in Addis Ababa October 9, 2015. Addis Ababa's “Mercato” – Italian for “market” – is reputedly the biggest open-air market in Africa, lying in the west of the capital. (Photo by Tiksa Negeri/Reuters)

An albino woman adjusts her costume backstage as she and others wait for their fashion show during the Mr. & Miss Albinism East Africa contest in Nairobi, Kenya, 30 November 2018. Hudreds of abino men, women and children participated in the contest to raise awareness on discrimination and stigma against albinism in the region. (Photo by Dai Kurokawa/EPA/EFE)

Model Kendall Jenner attends the “120 Battements Par Minutes (120 Beats Per Minute)” screening during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 20, 2017 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

Riot police clash with protesters during a rally to demand a referendum to remove Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, September 1, 2016. (Photo by Marco Bello/Reuters)

Actress Penelope Cruz attends a photocall promoting the film “Chromophobia” at the Palais during the 58th International Cannes Film Festival May 21, 2005 in Cannes, France. (Photo by M. J. Kim/Getty Images)

A groom leads his horse in the equine pool after working out on the track, during early morning workouts for the upcoming Derby race in Mumbai January 29, 2015. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)