"Water Series IV" Kite by Michael Thompson

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 "Water Series IV,” panels of teal and indigo leach into their surroundings with captivating irregularity. Contrasted by a neutral field of gestural calligraphy, the cool watercolors ebb and flow across the saturated canvas like puddles of water. At the kite's center is a line of poetry by the Song-era poet Su Shi reading "harmonious time, abundant years," a sentiment conveying notions of peace and prosperity.

Thompson has earned an international reputation for his kite works, an engrossing project initiated by the artist more than a decade ago.