Many people have seen feathers as decorative items before. Today, ostrich, peacock and bird of paradise feathers can be seen in haute couture and in the costumes of indigenous peoples. They can be colorful and spectacular in their own right, but how much more stunning might they be when used as canvases for artists, eager to demonstrate their talent for the unusual? Alaskan-born and -bred artist Julie Thompson is an astounding exponent of this incredible art form.

Charli XCX performs at Hype Hotel on March 17, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns)

A man walks along a corridor at a hotel in Singapore on February 7, 2024. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)

Rihanna arrives at the GQ Men Of The Year Party at Chateau Marmont Hotel on November 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

American model Bella Hadid comes out of her hotel on September 25, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pierre Suu/Getty Images)

Jo Jo performs at the Q102 s*xy Singles 2012 the at Hotel Palomar on January 26, 2012 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo)

Women pose for a picture at the entrance of the Carlton Hotel, in the government controlled area of Aleppo, Syria December 17, 2016. (Photo by Omar Sanadiki/Reuters)

Police officers control the crowd (rear) while surrounding a man (front C) suspected to be involved in opening fire on a beachside hotel in Sousse, Tunisia, as a woman reacts (R), June 26, 2015. At least 27 people, including foreign tourists, were killed when at least one gunman opened fire on a Tunisian beachside hotel in the popular resort of Sousse on Friday, an interior ministry spokesman said. Police were still clearing the area around the Imperial Marhaba hotel and the body of one gunman lay at the scene with a Kalashnikov assault rifle after he was shot in an exchange of gunfire, a security source at the scene said. (Photo by Amine Ben Aziza/Reuters)