In commemoration of the first anniversary of the Museum of Glass (MOG) in Tacoma, Washington, artist Cappy Thompson created Gathering the Light, a piece of glass art that is 12 feet high and 15 feet long. It is a triptych which consisted of three panels linked together in which there are 54 glass panes.
According to the Museum display:
“Gathering the Light is an epic story of glassmaking, set in a mythical world where muses shower inspiration upon artists and mermaids collect beautiful glass objects. Trumpet-blowing fish welcome visitors to this land where glass is blown, cast, engraved and painted by artists, as it has been for centuries.”
Each of the 54 panes of glass began as a clear glass cylinder, blown by a glassmaker. The glass cylinder was then cut open at both ends to form a hollow tube. The glass tube, which still molten, was then cut lengthwise and flattened. This resulted in an irregular and wavy tile. The artist then paints, in reverse, on the back of the pane. This technique is known as grisaille, or gray tonal painting, and has been used since the Middle Ages for painting on glass, especially stained glass. This method involves fusing the enamel to the glass in a hot kiln three separate times. The Museum describes the process:
“First, the artist paints the black lines, called tracery, onto the glass surface. The work is then fired. Next, the artist applies a wash of black paint, or matt, over the tracery. Using specially shaped bristle brushes, the artist removes some of the wash. The remaining grisaille creates the tonality and pattern, known as modeling, which is ‘fixed’ or made permanent by firing the piece again. Finally, the artist adds paint made from ground glass and metal oxides. When the piece is fired for the third and final time, this paint is transformed into brilliant, transparent color.”
Some of the detail of this piece is shown below.
This is actually a self-portrait of the artist, Cappy Thompson.
