Ron Gibian
Ron Gibian
Visalia, CA
Ron Gibian, art kite maker, creates kites evocative of nature, the modern world, whimsy, and architecture.
Ron Gibian has been making works of art that fly for over 30 years.
His creations have won hundreds of awards on five continents.
He’s been recognized by the American Kiteflier’s Association as their Grand Champion once and recipient of their People’s choice Award several times as well as a special lifetime achievement award.
His kites embrace highly stylistic themes drawn from nature, architecture, and childlike whimsy.
Aside from being a master kite builder Ron is an accomplished musician having made a living for years as a drummer and percussionist. He has played the Nevada circuit and the LA scene and has toured and been on stage with many musical legends of the 1970’s and early 80’s.
Ron Gibian has been making kites since 1985. Recognized around the world for his unique light weight super strong kites that are patterned after his interpretations of nature, childlike delights, techno, and architecture. To own a Gibian kite is to own one of the genuine masterpieces of tethered art. He has won hundreds of awards on five continents and been to 26 countries and 30 states to display his kites.
Ron very much credits all his success to his parents, his wife and the many friends he has made both in kiting and music. Not only is Ron a master kite builder but he is an accomplished professional drummer and percussionist having played the Nevada circuit and the LA scene and been on stage and toured with many musical legends of the 1970’s and early 80’s. Currently, he performs with Zzah, a band popular on the west coast and performs with many of the great names of jazz today.
Ron is the son of a famous Chilean artist, Gerardo Gibian, who emigrated from Austria to Chile in 1939. His father began with a photographic studio and soon had a publicity, graphic design and advertizing company. His clients included the government’s tourism board, and later Max Factor. Today students of advertizing and graphic design in Chile study Ron’s father’s work at the universities. It was there in Santiago that Ron grew up. His mom had a high fashion couture business. Ron can remember walking home from school and seeing his mom’s creations draped on the models in the windows of high end department stores. But most of all what Ron recalls is the constant world of art, music and creative life that pulsed through his childhood house. There was a serenity and security to it all. Young Ron was never far from his dad’s tilt top artist table with colored pencils at the ready. He liked to sketch and, in school, to drum with those pencils – constantly getting in trouble because of it.
His wife Sandy grew up in California where her dad had a sewing machine repair shop. She learned at an early age how to tinker with mechanical things and learned sewing along the way. “I couldn’t have done it without her,” says Ron. “Especially in the early days, I could have never gotten all those kites sewn in time to make the festivals that I did. She is my rock, my soul mate, the love of my life.” While Sandy still helps out from time to time she is more focused on her own real estate business.
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Ron Gibian has taught many, many workshops world-wide. His creations have won hundreds of awards on five continents. He’s been recognized by the American Kiteflier’s Association as their Grand Champion once and recipient of their People’s choice Award several times as well as a special lifetime achievement award, the Lee Toy Award.