I love the work of James Christensen. He's a wonderful painter of fanciful subjects, and has a very distinct style all his own. He pushes his work right to the edge of absurdity, but almost always has a gentle humor to his images. He even manages to put in a moral occasionally! This is my personal favorite: The title itself is a joke... "Lawrence Pretended Not to Notice That a Bear Had Become Attached to His Coattails".