People wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus wait to walk across a traffic intersection in Osaka, western Japan, Thursday, November 26, 2020. (Photo by Hiro Komae/AP Photo)

People are seen through a window as they attend the traditional wedding ceremony of Emir's 7 children in Abuja, Nigeria, December 26, 2020. (Photo by Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters)

In this picture taken on January 21, 2021, people visit a nightclub in Wuhan, China's central Hubei province. (Photo by Hector Retamal/AFP Photo)

People without face masks are seen at Times Square during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in New York City, U.S., March 11, 2021. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

People take a photo next to a blooming tree during cherry blossom season in Yuyuantan Park in Beijing, China on March 31, 2021. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

A large variety of weapons were for sale at the Washington County Fairgrounds Gun Show that drew thousands of people over the weekend, on March 22, 2013. (Photo by Gary Porter)

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.

People watch as an acrobat rides his motorcycle around a circular track at an entertainment park set up outside a shrine in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on June 19, 2013. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/Associated Press)