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 sledding dog is covered in ice after spending the night in the open air with his musher at the polar base of Val-Cenis, as they ready for the next stage of the 12th edition of “La Grande Odyssee” sledding race across the Alps on January 17, 2016 in Val Cenis Lanslevillard. (Photo by Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP Photo)

Businesswoman with skirt caught in underwear. Image shot 2008, exact date unknown. (Photo by Alamy Stock Photo)

Clouds reflect off the water as they pass over while SpaceX prepares their super heavy-lift Starship SN8 rocket for a test launch this week at the company's facilities in Boca Chita, Texas, U.S. December 1, 2020. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Reuters)

Protesters march against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., June 1, 2020. (Photo by Mike Segar/Reuters)

Participant Elena Tsagrinou of Cyprus performs during first semi-final of the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands on May 18, 2021. (Photo by Piroschka Van de Wouw/Reuters)

Andy Saturn dressed in a space outfit walks in through a subway station over memorial day weekend on May 29, 2021 in New York City. On May 19, 2021 all pandemic restrictions, including mask mandates, social distancing guidelines, venue capacities and restaurant curfews were lifted by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

A model wears a creation during the Chanel Cruise 2021/2022 collection presentation in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, November 2, 2021. (Photo by Kamran Jebreili/AP Photo)