Frances Fowler leads the Bowie VFD Marching Thoroughbreds in the Bowie 4th of July Parade in Bowie, Md., on July 4, 1976. (Photo by James M. Thresher/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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)

A girl jumps over a campfire while celebrating Ivan Kupala Night, a traditional Slavic holiday not far from Kiev on July 6, 2013. During the celebration, originating in pagan times, people plait wreaths, jump over fires, and swim naked. (Photo by Sergei Supinsky/AFP Photo)

A participant at London Pride 2022 parade takes a mocking selfie next to Christian extremists protesting the parade in Piccadilly on July 2, 2022. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A model wears a creation for Schiaparelli's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, Monday, July 4, 2022 in Paris. (Photo by Lewis Joly/AP Photo)

American model Bella Hadid poses as she arrives for the screening of the film “Tre Piani” (Three Floors) at the 74th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on July 11, 2021. (Photo by Reinhard Krause/Reuters)

Soldiers of the French Air and Space Force who took part in the Skyros Operation get ready prior to the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2021. (Photo by Ludovic Marin/AFP Photo)