"Bamboo Sunset (Persimmon)" 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 "Bamboo Sunset (Persimmon)," Thompson aligns scraps of woven fabric to draw fluid lines of vibrant color, instilling the kite with a jubilant sense of motion. Bold shades of orange and red cascade across the kite like currents of flowing water, creating the illusion of positive and negative space. A palette of cool blues and greens make up the delicate leaves that weave throughout the composition, echoed in the fragments of indigo ikats and floral motifs that accent the sides.

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, found fabrics.