Cappy Thompson

• Name — Cappy Thompson • Birthplace — Alexandria, Virginia • Born — 22 January 1952 • Education — Evergreen State College • Known for — Glass art, enamel work • Notable Works — Dreaming of Spirit Animals; Gathering the Light

Cappy Thompson was born January 22, 1952 in Alexandria, Virginia. She graduated in 1976 from The Evergreen State College, where she studied painting and printmaking.

• Illustration — Dreaming of Spirit Animals, Sea-Tac Airport Thompson has been an artist in residence at Pilchuck Glass School and is a recipient of the school’s Libenský Award. She has taught at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, Washington and UrbanGlass in Brooklyn, New York. Her best-known public works include Dreaming of Spirit Animals at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Gathering the Light in the lobby of the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.

Thompson’s work draws on a range of sources, including Hindu and Buddhist traditions, fables, and medieval legends, and often incorporates narrative imagery. She began her career as a painter of stained glass and uses transparency as a central feature of her work. Her glass vessels are typically reverse-painted using enamel techniques. She has been described as a leading American artist working in transparent enamelling.

Thompson has held solo exhibitions, including at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Alabama, in 2006.

Thompson lives in Seattle, Washington.