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 government awareness poster for wearing surgical masks is seen reflected and upside-down in the Dambovita river in Bucharest, Romania, 19 November 2020. The poster, depicting a man wearing a surgical mask, reads: “I WEAR A MASK BECAUSE I KNOW THAT ONLY TOGETHER WE WILL SUCCEED!”. As the number of COVID-19 infections increased, authorities decided that wearing a protective mask should become mandatory at all times in all public places. (Photo by Robert Ghement/EPA/EFE)

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)

Grace Sun, from Shenzhen China, poses for a picture outside Capital One Arena, ahead of a rally for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump the day before he is scheduled to be inaugurated for a second term, in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2025. “I think it's a very good thing between China and America”, said Sun. “I think cooperation will be better”. (Photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters)

“Self-educated photographer, Quebec. I always impassioned myself for the animal world and natural spaces, in particular for the red squirrels and the titmouses. Having reached sixty and more, I am nothing any more has to prove but all has to show”. – Andre Villeneuve. Photo: “Eat and run”. (Photo by Andre Villeneuve)