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 person stands next to the skyline of lower Manhattan on the opening day the Edge NYC, an outdoor observation deck on the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards on March 11, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

The cruise ship Viking Sky as it drifts after sending a Mayday signal because of engine failure in windy conditions near Hustadvika, off the west coast of Norway, Saturday March 23, 2019. The Viking Sky is forced to evacuate its estimated 1,300 passengers. (Photo by Odd Roar Lange/NTB Scanpix via AP Photo)

(L-R) Playmate Victoria Silvstedt, Donald Trump and Melania Knauss at the Playboy 50th Anniversary celebration December 4, 2003 in New York City. (Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

American singer, dancer, and media personality Ashley Roberts seen leaving Glamour Women Of The Year Awards at Outernet on November 08, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by (Photo by TOT/The Mega Agency)

Models pose for a group photograph outside the Victoria's Secret shop on New Bond Street in central London, December 1, 2014. The 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will be held in London on Tuesday. (Photo by Andrew Winning/Reuters)

A demonstrator holds up hands in front of police during a protest the day after Election Day in Portland, Oregon, U.S., November 4, 2020. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

Doutzen Kroes and Candice Swanpoel arrive at the Mert Alas x Marcus Piggot book launch party at Public Hotelon September 7, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Pierre Suu/GC Images)