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 this kite titled “Nagoya,” Thompson layers fragments of kimono silk to create a soft composition of red and white. The center of the kite are delicately drawn flower baskets filled with peonies, chrysanthemums, and cherry blossoms, devoid of color save for the occasional pop of blue, gold, or white. A few of the flowers are further embellished with gold embroidery. Clouds of red drift across the creme-colored field, obscuring the flowers with a misty shroud.
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, thread, pigment.
