The Clavie, a burning barrel packed with tar soaked sticks fixed on the top of a pole, is surrounded by people at the Doorie Hill on January 11, 2018 in Burghead, Scotland. People welcome in the New Year with the fire ceremony which has ancient roots dating back to the 1750s, when the Julian calendar was reformed in Britain. It is believed to bring good luck for the coming year. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

Carnival revellers dressed as “Peliqueiros” run along a street in the village of Laza, Spain February 11, 2018. “Peliqueiros”, or ancient tax collectors, pursued villagers through the streets ringing their cowbells and hitting villagers with their sticks. (Photo by Miguel Vidal/Reuters)

Pedestrians wear masks as smoke and haze from bushfires in New South Wales blankets the CBD in Sydney, Australia, 10 December 2019. The New South Wales environment department says visibility across east and southwest Sydney was at a “hazardous” level on Tuesday morning, while air quality was poor in southwest Sydney and hazardous in northwest Sydney. (Photo by Steven Saphore/EPA/EFE)

A Malaysian Royal Guard wears a protective mask while he stands guard outside National Palace, following the outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 10, 2020. (Photo by Lim Huey Teng/Reuters)

Scott Meiklejohn gets into character as a mummy during a photo call on October 10, 2019 in Stirling, Scotland ahead of “Hallowild”, Blair Drummond Safari Parks annual Halloween event. This years theme in the haunted walkway is an egyptian tomb with special 3D effects alongside actors playing the roles of Pharaohs and Mummies. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)

Poland's Piotr Lisek reacts after competing in the men's pole vault qualification during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on July 31, 2021. (Photo by Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters)

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.

A team from Woody's Ice Cream shop wrangle a large inflatable dinosaur down the street during the Independence Day Parade in Fairfax, Virginia July 4, 2015. Americans marched in star-spangled parades, ran relay races, gathered for fireworks shows and crowned a new world hot dog eating champion as they celebrated Independence Day in traditional style on Saturday. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)