Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. His ongoing series of large-scale kites bridge the gap between flat art and sculpture, each crafted of split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage ephemera – including kimonos, obis, paintings, scrolls, drawings, metal leaf, bleeding paper, book pages, or anything with a story to tell.
A combination of print and collage, this work entitled “Composition #3” condenses the complex processes involved in Thompson’s kite works into a small-scale format. Composed to a rectangular format that recalls his large-scale kites, the work is a study in abstraction, a watery landscape of dark colors and strong, geometric forms. Torn paper edges and loosely sketched linework add an ephemeral quality to the collage, like a burgeoning idea frozen in time. Found print advertisements provide a focal point for the work, spliced in the form of striped paper and a large number three bobbing atop a sea of inky blue pigment. Printed shading overlaid onto the collage achieves a moody atmosphere and enhances the work’s distressed textures and dark coloring.
"Composition #3," 2008
Michael Thompson
Mono-print and found paper collage. Framed.
Additional Dimensions:
Without Frame: 14"W x 17"H
