The Tribute in Light is seen behind the Empire State Building on September 10, 2011 in New York City. The Tribute in Light is an art installation honoring those who perished in the 9/11 attacks. New York City and the nation are preparing for the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on lower Manhattan which resulted in the deaths of 2,753 people at the World Trade Center. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A performer poses with “The Gronkle” and “Deadly Nadder” at the How to Train Your Dragon Media Call at Fox Studios on November 29, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. The “How to Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular” world premiere will take place in Australia in March 2012. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Zookeepers measure the length of a pueblan milk snake in the Reptile House of ZSL London Zoo as part of their annual weighing and measuring of their animals on August 25, 2011 in London, England. The heights and weights of over 750 different animal species at the zoo are recorded into the International Species Information System, to monitor their health and share the data with other zoos across the world. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

"I am completely inspired by the natural world. Beauty is everywhere. It is the growth of the forest, the depth of the sea, and the curve of the bone. It is skin, scales, bark, and tide pool ripples. It is texture, and it is raw. I am a translator of life, and I am compelled to narrate it."

Jacek Yerka is an amazing painter from Poland. His subject matter ranges from odd beasts to whimsical landscapes incorporating extraordinary architecture, and includes imagery gleaned from his childhood. I handpicked a few of his pieces so we can take a close look at his world of painting.

There is an endless bounty of eye-catching gemstones throughout the world and this spectacular boulder opal is one unique beauty that looks like a shimmering crystal encased in a tree fossil. Its opalescent sheen seeps through the cracks of the seemingly wooden rings in lustrous hues of emerald green and aqua blue. Like something out of a fairy tale, the triangular piece radiates through an organic pattern mimicking the growth rings of tree.

The new MacBook Pro is shown during the keynote address at the Apple 2012 World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) at Moscone West on June 11, 2012 in San Francisco, California. This is Apple’s latest flagship laptop featuring an updated processor and a super high resolution screen that features 5.1 million pixels – 3 million more than a typical high-definition television.

South Korean soldiers participate in a winter river crossing operation in preparation for a possible North Korean attack on February 8, 2012 in Yeoju, South Korea. The Korean peninsula is the world's last Cold War frontier as stalinist North Korea and pro-western South Korea have been technically at war since the 1950-53 conflict. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)