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)

A sign advising to pray for rain hangs above an exhibit area at the 47th Annual World Ag Expo in Tulare, February 12, 2014. About a hundred years ago, when urban water systems were being developed throughout the state, the city of Sacramento wrote protections from metering into its charter, vowing that residents would always have the right to use as much water as they needed. But on Tuesday, the state's top water regulators released a framework for enforcing California's first statewide mandatory restrictions on urban water use – cuts of 25 percent for non-agricultural users ordered last week by Democratic Governor Jerry Brown as a devastating drought enters its fourth year. (Photo by David McNew/Reuters)

These adorable cats – which are twins – showcase their contrasting blue and green eyes. The cats have a condition called heterochromia iridis, which causes each eye to vary in color. (Photo by @sis.twins/Caters News Agency)

A model backstage during day 1 of Aspen Fashion Week 2011 on March 13, 2011 in Aspen, Colorado.

Kaci Nuyen 8, holds a “Kiddizoom Twist” camera during a Hamleys Christmas toy photocall at Hamleys Toy store on June 28, 2011 in London, England. The famous toy store unveiled today their “must have” toys for Christmas 2011. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Daisy Lowe attends The Phillips British Academy Awards 2011 at The Grosvenor House Hotel on May 22, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

A model prepares backstage ahead of the Amber & Thomas show during Rosemount Australian Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011/12 at Overseas Passenger Terminal on May 3, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Sunrise over Haleakala Crater, Haleakala National Park, Maui, Hawaii on April 26th, 2011. (Photo by Robert Bush/Alamy Stock Photo)