"Interior at Sunset" 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 "Interior at Sunset," Thompson balances figural elements with moments of uninhibited color and texture. On the right side of the kite, a drawing of a peach resembles the setting sun, rendering expanses of free-flowing pink pigments into fluffy lilac clouds dotting a rosy sky. As though in the foreground, a calligraphy painting of a vase filled with spider chrysanthemums contrasts the sunset skies and provides a focal point for the otherwise abstract composition.

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