"Moonlight" 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 “Moonlight,” Thompson creates a moody composition of light and dark with a patchwork of Japanese fabrics, including dark indigos, woven ikats, and delicate prints. A carefully placed Japanese mon transforms a panel of black into a dark night sky, moonlight bouncing off the treetops below. Thick brush strokes of black paint trace the outline of a waning moon and unite the disparate fragments of the surrounding collage.

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, canvas, cotton, silk, paint.