Over the course of this exciting three day event I'm going to use a rectangular Tyvek kite sail as a canvas to depict the brick row homes that epitomize many neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Tyvek is an inexpensive, water-resistant material, commonly used for housewrap and envelopes, and also happens to be perfect for making kites. In prior experiments I discovered sumi ink can be scratched and manipulated on the Tyvek surface, similar to producing a monotype in a printmaking studio. I can create expressive, highly detailed, bold drawings that are still recognizable as buildings if flown at a great height. While I am assembling (and hopefully flying) my kite I welcome you to observe and ask questions. Follow me on Instagram @alicethompsonart. I'll be sharing about my kite research, event updates, and progress pictures after the event kicks off.

I made my first art kite (pictured above) during a residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in 2009. I chose to make a barn door kite because it was easy to fly, and the shape suited the ranch style house and front yard that I painted on the sail.