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.

The Fox and the Drum, 1984

Cappy Thompson
(American, born 1952)

Location: South Bay Elementary, Olympia

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Artist Cappy Thompson's The Fox and the Drum is part of a series of stained glass windows that depict three Persian myths. These moral stories are hundreds of years old and are attributed to the Fables of Bidpai.

In this window, we see a fox that has greedily pulled a drum down from a tree. In doing this, the fox has scared away the birds that were its actual prey. The fox has just discovered that the drum cannot be eaten, even though it is big and noisy.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with North Thurston Public Schools.

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.