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.
In this monumental work entitled “Graphiti,” Thompson combines collage and ink painting to create an abstract composition that twists and turns across stretched canvas. Found scraps of newspaper, painted calligraphy and print media create the illusion of a wall plastered with posters and signs, some torn down or soggy from the elements. This effect is furthered by fragments of wallpaper patterned with swirling wood grain that peer through the collage as though making up the background.
Stretching and twisting across the canvas is a thin black line painted of ink on rice paper, loosely shaded to achieve depth and texture. Organic yet abstract, the line coils around each fragment like a tendril searching for purchase, or the artful signature of a graffiti artist, ever responsive to their surroundings. Keeping within a neutral palette of black, white, peach and tan, the large-scale collage achieves its visual harmony through adventurous experimentation, through Thompson’s careful addition and subtraction of line, mass, texture and color.
“Graphiti,” 2023
Michael Thompson
Mixed media painting on stretched canvas. Framed.
Additional Dimensions:
Without Frame: 46"W x 84.5"H
