Matthew Stone is a British artist who creates fascinating photographic sculptures that lie somewhere in the realm of a viscous, undulating reality - that cusp between the brim and the air as you swim for the surface. Rapturous.

Belgian photographer Bruxelles5 has captured aerial images of the beautiful tulip country, the Netherlands. During the spring, he traveled to the countryside of Anna Paulowna, where they bloom in magnificence.

It's a great honor to feature our cover artist of Empty Kingdom's Top 100 Artists of 2012, Lauren Treece. The North Carolina born photographer is known for her surreal beautiful tones and a mist blissful enough to possess your own soul. Btw, if you haven't seen our Top 100 list, SHAME ON YOU!

Jason Gowans is an artist currently based out of Vancouver, Canada who creates three-dimensional structures based on a two-dimensional images. Gowans' work was inspired after observing images of landscapes trying to capture the true vastness and expansive beauty of the Earth. However, without the sense of depth in photographs, the epic and breathtaking nature of the images are subdued. With that, Gowans sought to experiment in creating "sculptural photographs" that we share with all of you today.

[Photo by: Lauren Treece] The beginning is, in fact, finally here. After shifting through exactly 1470 posts for the entire 2012 calendar year, a dozen pots of coffee made, several holes punched in the drywall during heated deliberations, and several concussions suffered from office supplies hurled at each others' heads, we proudly present the third annual EMPTY KINGDOM TOP 100 Artists of 2012!

EK is looking for you! (image credit: Brooke Golightly) Yes, it is true -we are opening up another round of call for collaborators, and you just might fit the bill.

Japanese photographer Kohei Yoshiyuki made a splash for himself during the 1970s for his photographic series, "Kōen" (公園, Park), where he ventured into Shinjuku and Yoyogi Parks at night (both located in Tokyo, Japan), and photographed couples engaging in coitus with his trusty 35mm camera and infrared flashbulbs. Voyeuristic, yes...a bit sleezy, perhaps...but what his series captured was something a bit more surprising. Yoshiyuki reveals a hidden world where groups and couples engaged in sexual activity in front of unknown spectators around them, as lines between "voyeur" and "participant" became blurred.

Elif Sanem Karakoç is a photographer originally hailing from Istanbul, Turkey. Karakoç has exhibited internationally from Portugal, Romania, South Korea, France, and in her home county. Her work has also been featured in numerous magazine publications, such as Vogue, Trendsetter, Bak Magazine, and Madame Figaro.

Anouk Griffioen's work is dark and her photos can be a little straining on the eyes. She likes to work alone, but that doesn't mean she's not influenced by other artists. Griffioen's collaboration with fashion photographer Anne Marieke van Drimmelen marked a turning point in her work, when fashion started to play a more visible role in her art.

The avenues of West Berlin whisper the name of a photographer who was born of them. Raised in division, Lisa Wassmann has found herself a brilliant captor of eerie images. Expect silhouettes, fluids and smoke.

Some people expected flying cars by the year 2000. The times have passed and we still don't have flying cars. Realistically, we're probably never going to have them because so many people would be crashing mid flight. Renaud Marion, on the other hand, imagines what these cars could have looked like if the existed in present times.

War History Online is a quality website that frequently features amazing images and news based on world military history. The website recently published resourceful amount of archived photographs of WWII during 1940-1943 inspired by the colors of Kodachrome photo film.

Javier Riera's photographic light projections make a round treetop look like a mazed cube. Riera is currently exploring the harmonious relationship between geometry and landscape, using geometry to change our perception of the scenery and objects we thought we knew so well.

Fabian Oefner's new series called "Dancing Colors" bridges a gap between the auditory and the visual world. The "sculptures" that you see on the images exist only for a fraction of a second, which consists of normal salt, colored with pigments. The salt is placed on a thin foil of plastic which is wrapped on top of a speaker, and as soon as the speaker emits sound, the plastic foil starts to vibrate, forming these strange figures.

Today, we present photography work from Ylenia Salaris. Thank the heavens it's Friday...I get unchained from my EK desk and get to go on my one-hour of outdoor exercise.

Adam Voorhes was previously featured on March 2010 for his phenomenal photographs of fragmented, exploiting objects. His curiosity and original style expand further exploring not only the make-up of an object, but the relationships between his subjects.

Sarah Sudhoff is a photographer based out of Texas whose startling series, At the Hour of Our Death, explores our evasive relationship with the concept of dying and its elevation to a terrifying, almost mythological act, disconnected from the physicality of the thousands of miniscule motions that make up our daily lives.

Currently based out of Paris, France, Thierry Cohen is considered a pioneer in digital photography and technique since beginning his career in the mid-1980's. In Cohen's newest series, "Darkened Cities", he photographs cityscapes to reveal the night sky that is impossible to see due to modern light pollution. The truth is...these images are actually unattainable and do not exist.

Christophe Negrel is a French photographer whose latest series, Senegal, is an absolute knock-out. His subtle images are curiously atmospheric, a tender approach - faded yet powerful.

Aristotle's philosophy on two human beings in love reminds me of Rik Garrett's current series 'Symbiosis'. The fate of two physical bodies that connect and form as one soul, which is similarly portrayed throughout Garrett's mixed media photography. The Chicago based artist explores ideas regarding love, relationships, magic, alchemy and mutually beneficial partnerships in nature.