"Red Meander" 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 this kite entitled "Red Meander," 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 a pattern of delicate bamboo leaves, echoed in the strips of indigo and pink ikats that meander through the composition like traditional geometric scrollwork.

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.