We are positive that Wayne Levin’s black and white undersea photography will leave you stunned and breathless. That’s why we put his striking image of an endangered Hawaiian Monk seal on the cover of Wildlife Art Journal.

But in all honesty, I owe my friend, journalistic colleague, and fierce ocean defender David Helvarg, founder of the Blue Frontier Campaign, credit for insisting that Levin's work deserves celebration in this magazine.  A quick note about Mr. Helvarg.  He is author of a riveting new book Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes that is winning critical praise and is well worth adding to your summer reading list.  Also, while you’re at it, visit the Blue Frontier Campaign’s website and help save the world's seas that are in a lot of trouble.

Now, back to Wayne Levin. Wildlife Art Journal, as promised, is committed to expanding the range of what many consider "wildlife art" and Levin's portfolio is just one exciting example.  In fact, you're going to be seeing plenty of stories about nature photography.  As we note in our cover story, Dreams of the Merman, venturing into his work is like descending into a soothing dream world, not psychedelic like going down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland but surreal and calmingly therapeutic and yet scintillating. You will want to flip through our slide show featuring Levin's photographs again and again. Already, we have fielded requests from people who want a cover of the magazine for their wall.  One of the galleries representing Levin is the Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco.