Q&A – Questions & Artists – Don Thompson

“West Bluff,” 28”x34” commissioned stained glass piece, by Don Thompson.

This interview was not planned. It just happened. I met Don Thompson several weeks ago at he and his wife Jean’s business, The Door County Bakery. The bakery is just south of Sister Bay on Highway 57.

It was my plein air painting day and I wanted a really good cup of coffee before painting. I not only had a great cup of coffee made by Don, I had a world-class oatmeal cookie made by Jean. I started talking to Don about Door County, how he came here and, as our conversation progressed, I learned he is a stained glass artist.

I saw one of his impressive works in the bakery and knew then he would be a great subject for an interview. This interview was done at The Door County Bakery and I was fortunate to visit his beautiful studio located in northern Door County. I think Don’s statement, “I am an apprentice until I am 65 and then will get serious” is how he looks at life.

During our interview Don mentioned his studio several times and said in his opinion, “An artist must have a place to create.”

Several days after the interview we arranged for a mutually compatible time for me to visit his home and studio near Newport State Park. Driving in past the restored turn of the century home one sees a barn set in the pine trees. The barn, part of a small dairy farm, was built in 1888. Four years ago Don and his contractor, Russ Cockburn started the complete renovation turning the barn into an art studio and “audio office.” (As you will read later in the interview, Don is an accomplished professional musician.)

Thompson creates his stained glass pieces and records music in this spacious barn.

We went in the back of the building, a former tack room and now the place Don designs and creates some of his stained glass creations. In the main barn area Don has a music studio where he can compose, play, and tape his music. The acoustics in the large area are exceptional. We then went up a flight of stairs to the former hayloft where I saw some of his complex designs etched in wood. At the front of the loft there was another flight of stairs leading to the two windows you can see in the photograph of the studio. In a small sitting area were two chairs and we sat down, opened one of the windows and listened to the breeze blowing through the tops of the pine trees. Absolute peace and serenity. A place designed for creativity.

Randy Rasmussen (RR): Don, how are you currently finding time to fulfill your intense creative drive?

Don Thompson (DT): First, I don’t watch television and secondly I don’t spend much time on the Internet. I limit my reading and really use my time to create and grow. In life I think you have to create space and use your time wisely. That is what I try to do.

RR: Specifically, what are you currently doing?

DT: My financial commitments make The Door County Bakery paramount. In the birth of our bakery I created all the breads and my wife Jean created the pastries. The Corsica Loaf, our signature bread, is the manifestation of creativity. I sent to school abroad at age 17. I trained with a Sicilian family to learn how they made bread. The Corsica Loaf is a fusion of the Sicilian training and my schooling in France.

Don and Jean Thompson pose with their trademarked Corsica Loaf at The Door County Bakery.

RR: Is The Corsica Loaf your most popular bread?

DT: It is a nationally trademarked product that is sold and shipped to all 50 states including Alaska and Hawaii.

RR: You told me your wife Jean does the pastries?

DT: Jean does the pastries and I am responsible for all the breads. We both approach The Door County Bakery as our work of art.

RR: How did your interest in stained glass start?

DT: As a young man when I was schooled in France I became fascinated with the stained glass in the cathedrals. I wanted to know how one puts glass into metal and then how could the work be raised sometimes 100 feet into the air. At first I enjoyed the beauty of the work but then I became more interested in learning the technology.

RR: You came to Door County to do stained glass. When was that?

“Isle De Corse,” 5’x6’stained glass piece on display at Door County Bakery, by Don Thompson.

DT: That was about 2003. I have come to appreciate Door County as a haven for the artist. Urban life is not what I prefer and I think this county is a tremendously enriched community for the creative arts.

RR: What draws you to do commissioned art in your stained glass work?

DT: As a creator of full-scale panels one has to know where the piece is physically going to be. Where does the client expect to put the piece and would it work with the light and surroundings? In the past 40 years I have done 114 pieces. I have and continue to enjoy the creative challenge. Every commission brings me new knowledge.

RR: Creating breads, glasswork and music. Can you discuss the origins of your interest in performing?

DT: My father was a professional actor and my mother a professional musician. A requirement growing up in our home in Downers Grove was two years of piano lessons. By the time I reached my teens I knew I wanted to perform. Even though The Door County Bakery takes precedence I still record. My next CD is called Walk On and will be available next year. My CD Jupiter is a collectible item on eBay.

RR: What does the future hold for Don and Jean Thompson?

DT: Our focus in the coming chapter is to further distribution of The Corsica Loaf. The product is truly unique and I would like to give The Corsica Loaf a life of it’s own.

RR: Thank you.

The Door County Bakery is located at 10048 Highway 57 near Sister Bay. For more information visit doorcountybakery.com or call 920.854.1137.

To contact Thompson when he’s working in his studio, call 920.421.0946 or 920.854.4407.