Layers of breathtaking colour streak the rolling hills of this vast desert, making the landscape appear as though it has been tie-dyed. The natural phenomenon, nicknamed the “Painted Desert”, was formed when the area was once a river floodplain. Each colour corresponds to a different underground geological feature – rocks which have seemingly dyed the layers of earth above. Formed from volcanic activity, the hills at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in East Central Oregon, USA, are almost bursting with colour. Pictured: The colourful hills at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in East Central Oregon, USA. (Photo by Mark Brodkin/Solent News/SIPA Press)

Members of the Michiana Rocketry prep a 10-foot, 450 pound porta-potty, mounted on rocket motors for launching, Saturday, December 6, 2014, from a field in Three Oaks, Mich. It made an arc and almost landed on a spectator’s pickup truck, 2,000 feet away. A group of Michiana Rocketry club members planned the project for more than two years. The club is trying to increase awareness of rocketry as a hobby and prove it’s possible to turn a porta-potty into a rocket and launch it successfully. About 30 people worked on the rocket, from engineers to sales people who lined up sponsors. (Photo by Don Campbell/AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium)

A burning flame and a broad expanse of water are among the few things which do not tire us with their beauty. However, while we have many sources of water around us, it is quite hard to marvel at a burning flame on a daily basis. Melissa Crisp is one of the few people who were able to subdue the element of fire. She is the person who is behind the design of the uniquely-shaped fire pits, which feature mystifying themes, including a pair of lovers, a fire on the rodeo arena, a forest fire, a fiery flower, and a number of others. Each of the fire pits entrances you, and it almost seems like the characters are alive, as the hot fire burns deep within the spheres, casting dancing shadows all around. (Photo by Melissa Crisp)

People crowd together in an attempt to buy chickens at a Mega-Mercal, a subsidized state-run street market, in Caracas January 24, 2015. President Nicolas Maduro shook up complex currency controls on Wednesday and also prepared Venezuelans for a rise in the world's cheapest fuel prices in response to a recession worsened by plunging oil revenue. The socialist-run OPEC member's economy shrank 2.8 percent in 2014 while inflation topped 64 percent, the socialist leader announced in a speech to parliament, in what is almost certainly the worst performance in Latin America. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

A beautiful snowy owl looks like she is flying above a cloud, but in fact she is gliding inches above a snowplain in a hunt for food. The owls fit in perfectly with their surroundings as both the male and female, which has darker markings on her feathers referred to as barres, hunt for voles. The female is so low to the ground she is almost touching it as she spots her prey in the snow. Nature photographer Rick Dobson captured the two birds hunting in corn fields near his home, just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Rick Dobson/Solent News/SIPA Press)

At this year’s Venice Bienniale in Italy, the Korean pavilion has a curious exhibit called “Commissions for Utopia”. It includes renderings from North Korea’s top architects and artists (all anonymous), many of whom studied at the Paekho Institute of Architecture, North Korea’s state-run architectural college, and none of whom have ever left the country. They were asked to create a vision of North Korea’s future sustainable architecture for its expanding tourism industry. Their final products are a glimpse into what it would be like to envision the future after being entirely cut off from the present for almost 70 years. (Photo by Nick Bonner/Kyle Vanhemert/Venice Architecture Biennale)

Chilliwack, British Columbia-based Kevin Stone specializes in creating gargantuan, one-of-a-kind stainless steel sculptures. His towering bald eagle, called "Power and Authority," stands an astounding 20 ft high and has a massive 31 ft wingspan. He also completed an 85 feet long mirror polished stainless steel sculpture, the "Imperial Water Dragon." For almost two years, working seven days a week, he designed and created this 6000 lb, 12 ft high, 14 ft wide and 35 ft long dragon with two massive coils. It was made for River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

French artist Gilbert Legrand’s new series takes everyday objects like corkscrews, tape measures, and more and turns them into hilariously cute characters that almost make you forget their original purpose. Skillfully using each object’s natural shape, he crafts a character full of whimsy and personality. Each is painted to detail, with even the tiniest of characters bearing an expression which leaves no doubt as to their feelings about the situation. It truly takes a talented hand and imagination to turn paint brushes and zippers into humorous characters with surprisingly huge personalities.