Artwork copyright Cappy Thompson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Cappy Thompson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Cappy Thompson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Horses and Pipers, 2017

Cappy Thompson
American (born 1952)

Location: Getchell High School, Marysville

About the Artwork

Artist Cappy Thompson's glass vase Horses and Pipers is part of a body of work featuring a horse and rider theme. Thompson notes, "For me, the horse is a symbol of friendship between the human and animal realms. The pipes are one of our earliest musical instruments—they evoke the idea of community with many reeds bound together. Music has the power to bring people together through harmony." The imagery on the vase was created using a method of glass painting called "grisaille" where black line drawings are painted on the glass with a glass-powder paint solution and then fired in a kiln to make them permanent. Grisaille has existed since medieval times (approximately 450-1450) and is what you often see in stained glass windows in European churches.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Marysville School District.

About the Artist

Celebrated Seattle-based glass artist Cappy Thompson creates rich "mytho-poetic narratives" in her vibrant and animated stained-glass artworks. Her site-specific installations draw imagery from myths, poetry, and personal expression.
To create her vivid and detailed scenes, Thompson often uses a glass painting technique called "grisaille" where black line drawings are painted on glass, which is then fired in a kiln to make the line drawings permanent. Grisaille has existed since medieval times (approximately 450-1450) and is what you often see in stained glass windows in European churches.
Thompson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Western Washington in 1976. She has taught at art and glass programs around the world from Mexico to Australia to Germany, as well as locally at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Northwestern Washington, and Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle.