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.

In a 200-acre-plus dump 5 kilometers north of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, hundreds of men, women and children scavenge day and night through the burning wasteland. They earn $12 to $15 a day – on a good day – for recycling plastics as well as clothing, household items and aluminum (for smelting). Some 5,000 tons of waste is created each day in the Port-au-Prince area. (Photo and caption by Giles Clarke/Getty Images Reportage)

Tengger tribe people make their way to the summit of Mount Bromo volcano to make offerings in Probolinggo, East Java province on July 7, 2020, as part of the Yadnya Kasada Festival. During the annual Yadnya Kasada festival, the Tenggerese climb Mount Bromo, an active volcano, and seek the blessing from the main deity by presenting offerings of rice, fruit, livestock and other items. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto/AFP Photo)

A Pakistani vendor prepares peanuts for sale on a roadside in Peshawar, Pakistan, 01 January 2018. After a good raining season the sales of dry fruits flourish in the country. Tourists from all over Pakistan come to Peshawar to purchase dry fruits along with other items because of price differences between different parts of the country. (Photo by Bilawal Arbab/EPA/EFE)

Shoppers wrestle over a television as they compete to purchase retail items on “Black Friday” at an Asda superstore in Wembley, north London November 28, 2014. Britain's high streets, malls and online sites were awash with discounts on Friday as more retailers than ever embraced U.S.-style “Black Friday” promotions, seeking to kickstart trading in the key Christmas period. In the United States the Friday following the Thanksgiving Day holiday is called Black Friday because spending usually surges and indicates the point at which American retailers begin to turn a profit for the year, or go “into the black”. (Photo by Luke MacGregor/Reuters)

A woman participates in an insect-eating competition at a scenic spot in Lijiang, Yunnan province, China June 25, 2017. Insects have been a part of Yunnan cuisine for centuries, long before their potential as sustainable sources of protein caught the eye of the Western world. Bee larvae, grasshoppers and cicadas are just some items found on menus in the region. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

This series cannot get any cuter! Entitled Life is Adventure, the images portray little kittens and puppies playfully placed within elaborate scenes. To create each setting, the creative team first sketched out ideas and then used everyday household items like books, pillows, and a broom, to bring the imaginative moments to life. In the compositions, kittens ride camels, puppies sail off to sea, upside-down hangars look like seagulls, and a ring of yellow rubber gloves form a sun shining overhead.

A 10 week old stuffed Tiger cub and a Tortoise are displayed in a cabinet at an “Endangered Species” exhibition at London Zoo on September 12, 2011 in London, England. The exhibition is organised by “Operation Charm”, a Metropolitan Police partnership aimed at tackling the illegal trade in endangered wildlife and runs for one month at London Zoo. Items include the tooth of a sperm whale, Ivory carvings, and a stuffed Tiger. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)