Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites crafted from split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera - including fragments of fabric, scrolls, drawings, and books collected during his travels.
In "Abstraction in Cobalt," Thompson aligns fine kimono silk to create dreamy clouds of luminous flowers, drifting across the kite as though carried by a gentle breeze. Enclosed by a soft halo of white, long-tailed pheasants rest amid delicate flowers, including peonies, wisteria, camellia, and cherry blossoms. Contrasted by deeply saturated royal blue ground, the misty clouds create a visual landscape that is both ethereal and graphic.
Thompson has earned an international reputation for his kite works, an engrossing project initiated by the artist more than a decade ago.
Split bamboo, muslin, silk, pigments.