Cappy Thompson

Tree of Life Votive, 2026, Glazed Stoneware, 16.5 x 9 x 3 inches. Retail Value: $1500.

Cappy Thompson is a celebrated artist whose practice spans glass and clay, bringing spiritual and autobiographical narratives to both mediums with a style that is bold, delicate, and deeply expressive. Tree of Life Votive was made at Pottery Northwest in 2024, during a fountain-making class taught by Alison Grevstad.

After exploring the movement and exuberance of water in that class, Cappy found herself thinking about another element she could bring into her sculpture: candlelight. This piece became an early work in what has since developed into an ongoing exploration of ceramic objects designed to hold and transform light.

Cappy has made votive objects for many years and especially loves living with them during the darker winter months. For her, candlelight reinforces something she continually seeks in her work—a sense of beauty and hope. Tree of Life Votive brings those ideas together in an especially fitting way: clay, light, and imagery becoming part of the experience of the object itself.