Robert Brasington

Kite design has been my way of life now for over 30 years.

From the earliest days the thoughts of designing, colour and movement have occupied my day dreams. Living on the island of Tasmania, close to the east coast beaches and its nature, gives me the opportunity to focus on a life that I love. 

Robert Brasington 

Workshop projects are aimed at participants with basic contemporary kite making skills.  All hardware is supplied and workshop manuals enable participants to complete the projects at a later date if desired.  Robert will be offering kits with custom color choices.  Because of the time involved to create your custom kit, orders for kits WILL have a cutoff date. 

Robert Brasington writes.... 

I was born in Hobart but, like many Tasmanians, spent years away from home. Twenty years ago, Tracey and I returned from living in southern England to the town of St. Helens on the east coast. Prior to that event, we were both involved in ornamental horticulture, both as our careers and our passions.

 Kite making presented itself as our C –change from the hurly burly of budgets, personnel and labour disputes and everyday management of a large production nursery. St. Helens was chosen as an appropriate centre for small scale production of kites, a retreat for surfing and a climate conducive to growing a wide range of plant material.

 The kite business, then focusing specifically on wholesale sales of dual line stunt kites, flourished immediately. We built a reputation for quality product, outstanding service and reliability and within a year of starting the business were the main suppliers of Australian made sports kites to kite retailers on the mainland.

 Inspirations for designs come from the world around me. However, the major source of material comes from the world of Gothic. Design components from architecture were the origin of large three dimensional cellular kites. As the body of work grew, so did the inspirations derived from alternative gothic genre. Jewellery, tattoos, clothing and graphic design are now all sources of ideas. The common theme throughout the kites is that they are predominately black borders surrounding complementary colour combinations.

Conducting workshops based around design and construction is also a major part of my life. These are a wonderful way of learning new techniques from fellow kite makers. As I learn more about my discipline, I realise there is so much more to understand.

Robert Brasington

Previous classes:

Robert has conducted MANY workshops worldwide.