American sculptor Michael Alfano has been sculpting for over fifteen years. A native of New York, he now lives and works in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. His major influences are Salvador Dali, Jo Davidson, and Jean-Antoine Houdon, as well as Buddhist, Taoist, Sufi and other eastern philosophy and literature. He first studied at the Art Students League of New York, with an emphasis on life-size sculpture from the model. His formal education continued at Boston University and was augmented by internships with several prominent sculptors.

A participant in the traditional dance of Los Historiantes poses for a photo during festivities in honour of St. Michael the Archangel in San Miguel Tepezontes, El Salvador September 28, 2016. (Photo by Jose Cabezas/Reuters)

Hong Kong art gallery director Sarah Greene said that Wolf, known for his work depicting mega-cities, has died Tuesday, April 24, 2019 night at his home. She said he was 64. Wolf won first prize in the World Press Photo competition in 2005 and 2010. Here: Architecture of Density #119, 2009. (Photo by Michael Wolf, courtesy of Flowers Gallery)

Police officers standby while a forest fire burns the hills of Valparaiso city, northwest of Santiago, March 13, 2015. Several hectares of land has been burned due to forest fires near Valparaiso city, with no report of deaths or injuries, local authorities said. (Photo by Lucas Galvez/Reuters)

Two men ride a motorcycle away from a fire in Athens on Friday, July 17, 2015. Greek firefighters battled large brush and forest fires on the outskirts of Athens and in the country's southern Peloponnese region Friday, where flames forced the evacuation of at least three villages and two summer camps. (Photo by Giorgos Bamboukos/InTime News via AP Photo)

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)

A girl cover her face while riding a motorcycle as haze shrouds a street near Tanjung Siapi Api port in Palembang, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, September 19, 2015. Indonesia will take 30 days to bring smouldering forest fires under control, the national disaster management agency said on Friday, as smog from the fires pushes pollution in Southeast Asia to record highs. (Photo by Reuters/Beawiharta)