Local artist hopes Provo Airport mural will get more people interested in the art of stained glass

Colored light filters in from all the windows at the Gomms' house and stained glass artwork peeks out from every corner.

Jeanne Gomm is often hard at work, cutting and grinding glass in her home-based studio in Provo, laying out pieces of glass, turning amorphous colorful shapes into beautiful landscapes.

Gomm recently created a four-panel stained glass mural of Utah Lake for the Provo Airport. The artwork was unveiled on April 5 and is on permanent display on the upper level of the new terminal. It is an area of the airport that is always open to the public.

Gomm was chosen from a group of artists to complete the mural and said Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi had asked about having a stained glass mural at the airport.

It took Gomm about 10 months to create the massive intricacy, from its initial design to the final product.

"We have lived here for a long time and we love the lake," Gomm said, adding that it was a pleasure to work with the mayor and the airport committee on the project.

Gomm's daughter kayaks the lake every morning, when weather permits, and if the water is too choppy or icy, she still goes down to the lake to enjoy the scenery. As she kayaks, she picks up trash to help keep the lake clean.

"She's a real asset to Utah Lake," Gomm said.

If you look closely at the mural, there is a small red piece of glass on the far right side that depicts her daughter's kayak. "It's kind of like a 'Where's Waldo!'"

The airport mural isn't Gomm's only piece of art on display in Utah County. She and her husband David created a mosaic for the Springville Smith's; a mosaic mural of a waterfall at the Covey Center for the Arts; and, donated 100 feet of stained glass at the Covey Center for the Arts in the secure gallery.

The couple has helped with stained glass for some temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including the Fort Lauderdale Florida Temple and, one of their former students now works for the church as a stained glass artist.

But the majority of the art the Gomms make ends up in people's homes.

Why stained glass?

"It was all David's fault," Jeanne Gomm jokes.

David Gomm liked reading books about alternative lifestyles, such as "Woodstock Handmade Houses" and "Rolling Homes." He tried his hand at making stained glass artwork, then read an article from Mother Earth News about how to cut glass and he realized all the things he did wrong on his first try.

He found a nearby studio and signed up for a class, where he learned all of the old fashioned techniques to create stained glass. Ever since that day in 1983, he was hooked.

David Gomm started teaching his wife, but with seven kids to raise, it took Jeanne Gomma a few years before she was invested, too.

Then about five-and-a-half years ago, David Gomm had triple-bypass heart surgery. Jeanne Gomm had a part-time job, but she needed to decide what to do to support him in his recovery, while making money for the family.

After lots of thought and prayer, the words "I'm all in" came to Jeanne Gomm's mind. So she and David started their home studio full-time and, "thankfully, it has paid the bills since then," she said.

Jeanne Gomm spends most mornings working on projects and commissions, then teaches classes in the evening. David Gomm spends most of his time on the computer, finalizing designs and patterns and editing videos for their YouTube channel Gomm Stained Glass that has more than 400 videos, including tutorials for the craft.

Although choosing colors for projects is hard, Jeanne Gomm said it's really fun for her. David Gomm, however, does not like picking the colors, which is why he's glad they make such a good team when they work together to make glass art.

The Gomms had about 110 students during 2022, when they taught beginner to advanced individual and small group lessons on stained-glass construction and mosaics.

Simplified, the process of stained glass starts with drawing the design, printing out a computer-finalized design on card stock, tracing the pattern on glass, cutting the glass pieces, grinding the glass edges, assembling the glass into the design, and soldering it together.

"Not only is the glass beautiful, but the light is part of the window. It's part of the whole art of it," Jeanne Gomm said. She loves how the artwork changes throughout the day, as the light hitting it shifts.

The Gomms are hoping to help others see that stained glass isn't just a craft or an architectural thing, but it's also fine art.

"Think of stained glass windows in cathedrals and churches — if that's not fine art, I just don't know what is," Jeanne Gomm said.

Jeanne Gomm submits her glass to art shows and, even though she doesn't always get accepted or win, she is hoping it introduces judges to the idea that stained glass should be considered as fine art.

"Art is so important to our society. Without it, how would we tell the stories of our society?" Jeanne Gomm said.

Meeting new people

"All kinds of people can do this medium," Jeanne Gomm said. "I love meeting people and going though the process."

People come to the Gomms' studio to cross this activity off their bucket list, commission a window, enjoy some "art therapy" and heal through creating something, or to make art for a school project.

Jeanne Gomm said she thinks every school subject is enhanced with art and she's so happy anytime a student comes to her to incorporate stained glass with their studies. They've had a violin maker tasked with making something in a different medium, a BYU student assigned to make art that related to their religious class and many more.

"I can't think of any subject that wouldn't be enhanced by introducing art," Jeanne Gomm said.

Jeanne Gomm loves that she has the opportunity to encourage and congratulate people on their hard work. She also loves learning about her clients so she can create something magical for them.

"When I do a window for a client and there's tears, I know I nailed it," Jeanne Gomm said.

Whether you make the art or just commission a piece to be in your home, Jeanne Gomm said stained glass makes people smile.

"It just makes you happy. I think that's what it can do," Gomm said. "How blessed I've been to meet amazing students and clients and people."