"River and Pond" 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.

Entitled "River and Pond," this cross-shaped kite is comprised of paper panels of solid taupe and beige and a central panel deeply saturated with teal and navy pigments in a checkered pattern. Thompson relies on the unpredictable motion of water to unite these rigid elements, adding just enough moisture to send rivulets of blue spilling across the kite and into the surrounding neutral panels.

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