Title: I Was Dreaming of Spirit Animals
Artist: Cappy Thompson
Year: 2003
Medium: Stained-glass window (glass enamel & hand-blown glass)
Dimensions: 33' high x 91' wide
Description of the artwork
Deep indigos, flowers, and stars paint the end of A Concourse in this whimsical and monumental glass installation. Familiar constellations of bears, lions, birds, and crab decorate the sky. In a chariot pulled by winged horses sits personifications of the sun and moon. The sun drops down white flowers, while the moon pours out a vessel of water. Underneath this active astrological scene sits tall evergreens, owls and eagles standing watch, and a golden house with two people resting in their bed.
In this piece, Cappy Thompson uses the same technique as the one used to paint stained glass windows in medieval cathedrals. The process involves painting the black outlines first, shading with a dry brush second, and filling in with color last. At the time of its creation, I was Dreaming of Spirit Animals was the largest hand-painted narrative stained-glass window in the country.
About the artist
Cappy Thompson was born in Alexandria, Virginia, but has been a Northwest resident since early childhood. She attended Evergreen State College during its first years to study painting and printmaking.
Recognized for her "mytho-poetic narratives on glass", Thompson is widely considered to be the master in her field of American transparent enameling. She is a self-taught gray-tonal artist, using the technique in numerous public commissions. The grisaille technique of applying the gray tracery line was used by medieval European artists to paint the glass panels in cathedrals.
Cappy Thompson's pieces are in collections at the Corning Museum of Glass, Tacoma Art Museum, Toyama City Institute of Glass Art, and Microsoft Corporation. Her large-scale glass installations are in public collections at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Evergreen State College, and Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
“Early in my career I was drawn to the images, symbols and painting of the medieval period—but not just the Christian tradition of Western Europe. I loved the content of Hindu, Pagan, Judaic, Buddhist and Islamic painting as well.” - Cappy Thompson (From the artist’s website)
