"Celadon Shadow" Kite by Michael Thompson

Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. His ongoing series of large-scale kites bridge the gap between flat art and sculpture, each crafted of split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage ephemera – including kimonos, obis, paintings, scrolls, drawings or anything with a story to tell.

In this bamboo kite entitled “Celadon Shadow,” Thompson plays with light and shadow for an abstraction of subdued color and soft texture. Bold, curvilinear forms sweep across the kite and collide with angular shapes that seem to float in the foreground, recalling the overlapping planes and fragmented imagery of Cubism. These abstract elements are rendered in black paint and pale blue paper collage against a celadon-green field, each with a well developed texture of swirling brushwork and blurred shading. Loosely drawn lines trace each block of color, likening their forms to the gestural movements of a charcoal sketch.

"Celadon Shadow," 2025
Michael Thompson
Split bamboo, canvas, paper, paint, charcoal and pigment.