Kite maker and exhibit designer Greg Kono represented the
Drachen Foundation during Arts Career Day at Seattle
School District's Adams Elementary, a culturally diverse
and "arts-rich" school, with arts integrated
throughout the curriculum and teachers learning arts
skills from artists-in-residence. Greg was invited to
discuss with a group of students the genesis and evolution
of his career as an artist.
Greg touched on how his childhood passion for puzzles and
toys fed his interests as an adult in design and kite building.
His first kite, he admitted, was not very successful, but
that failure only fueled a desire to learn more. Now all
of Greg's kites fly, and if a kite flies well, he values
it more highly as an art work.
Greg also showed students a series of kites using personal
themes--fish kites based on fishing lures and fruit and vegetable
kites reflecting his experiences on his family's farm in
the Sacramento Valley. He called his watermelon kite a "flying
reminder of childhood."
In much of Greg's kite making he combines traditional materials
with contemporary tools. He uses handmade Japanese paper,
washi, particularly good for making kites because of the
strength imparted by its long fibers. Students were invited
to touch the tendrils of a radish kite to feel the texture
of washi. The greenery is not just decorative; it functions
as a tail to stabilize the kite in flight. On the washi,
Greg may print a computer-generated image or photograph,
then enhance it by brush painting with inks or dyes. No need
to be a purist, Greg reminded students, although you may
face challenges by using traditional materials with contemporary
tools. His challenge? To keep the washi from jamming in his
ink-jet printer. |
