A bully greenfinch (left) got its comeuppance when a small but fiery dunnock (right) defended itself with its talons in Suffolk, United Kingdom on April 18, 2022. The smaller bird was perched peacefully before the finch burst onto the scene and aggressively squared up to the dunnock. But as the finch tried to peck at the dunnock, the small brown bird expertly used its foot to slam its mouth shut. (Photo by Paul Sawer/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Cosplayers (left to right) Oli Hazeldine (dressed as Princess Adora from the animated series She-Ra); Val Imms (Catra from She-Ra), and Lou Frewin (Raven from the animated series Teen Titans) travelling on a Jubilee Line train heading for MCM Comic Con at the ExCel London in east London on Sunday, May 29, 2022. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Wire)

Colorado Rockies' Charlie Blackmon, back, douses Randal Grichuk as he is interviewed by field announcer Kelsey Wingert, right, following Grichuk's three-run home run off Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Taylor Rogers during the 10th inning of a baseball game Tuesday, September 6, 2022, in Denver. (Photo by David Zalubowski/AP Photo)

A Capetonian watches the sun rise from the top of Signal Hill as smoke engulfs the city of Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday April 20, 2021. A massive fire spreading on the slopes of the city's famed Table Mountain, at right, is kept under control as firemen and helicopters take advantage of the low winds to contain the blaze. (Photo by Jerome Delay/AP Photo)

Morocco's Hanane Ait El Haj, right, watches as Colombia's Manuela Vanegas, down, challenges Morocco's Sakina Ouzraoui during the Women's World Cup Group H soccer match between Morocco and Colombia in Perth, Australia, Thursday, August 3, 2023. (Photo by Gary Day/AP Photo)

I’m an illustrator based in South Wales, UK. I work in pen and ink, creating original illustrations for record cover artwork, shirt design and poster art.

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.

"I am completely inspired by the natural world. Beauty is everywhere. It is the growth of the forest, the depth of the sea, and the curve of the bone. It is skin, scales, bark, and tide pool ripples. It is texture, and it is raw. I am a translator of life, and I am compelled to narrate it."