| The kites may be small (miniature) but the man is big. Harm van Veen found his passion in the small of the kite world and for many decades collected and documented the movement of those who made “small” kites.
A “genius” of many sorts, he was a wonderful illustrator and the cartoonish sketches he used to make many “miniature” points in his books are treasures.
One of his most charming books, is that of the The Tao of Kiteflying, ISBN 0-937315-01-X. No plans, but an excellent treatment of why kites fly, and why they don't. A "must own" for every single line kite enthusiast.
Founding the IFOSK (International Friends of Small Kites) in 1994, with a “loose” ground of kite fliers around the world…he networked a world of those who liked to make, fly and collect small kites.
The IFOSK had two purposes:
1) Exchanging information on small kites and publishing that information in a newsletter SKIL (Small Kites Illustrated Letter). This was independently edited and published by Harm with contributions from all over the world. There was no entry too small.
2) Organizing demonstrations and expositions of small kites, as well as developing workshops to teach others how to make them.
In the summer of 2004, Harm decided a good home for his collection would be The Drachen Foundation in Seattle. With his generous donation, The Foundation has put up the kites on our web for you to enjoy.
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