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.

Performers wearing traditional outfits demonstrate the Coopers' Dance on Marienplatz square on January 7, 2012 in Munich, Germany. The Coopers' Dance, known in German as the Schaefflertanz, is performed only every seven years and dates back to 1702. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

Brazilian natives of the Pareci tribe play head football with a hand-made ball for a demonstration, during the first day of the International Games of Indigenous Peoples, in Cuiaba, state of Mato Grosso, on November 10, 2013. 1500 natives from 49 Brazilian ethnic groups and from another 17 countries are gathering in Cuiaba until November 16 to compete in some 30 athletic disciplines, many of their own. (Photo by Christophe Simon/AFP Photo)

A woman cries after riot police dispersed demonstrators during protests to oust Narok county Governor Samuel Tunai in Narok, Kenya, January 26, 2015. At least seven people were injured on Monday in clashes between Kenyan police and protesters from the Maasai ethnic group who accuse a local governor of corrupt handling of tourism funds from the Maasai Mara game reserve, the Kenya Red Cross said. (Photo by Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)

A demonstrator sits on the roadway during a protest against police brutality against minorities, in New York April 14, 2015. Protesters angered by fresh cases of police violence against unarmed black men in the United States gathered on Tuesday in New York City in a protest organized by the group “Stop Mass Incarceration Network” hoping to invigorate a national discussion on the thorny issue. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Folk artist Han Xiaoming demonstrates painting with his tongue in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province December 4, 2014. Han dips his tongue in ink to paint on paper, and uses his fingers to fill in final adjustments. The artist also uses a paintbrush held with his mouth and utilizes fish and vegetables as paint tools, local media reported. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)