Press releases and news from Gomm Stained Glass

	<December 2007 "Visions Of Light Opening"> <October 2006 Studio5 Interview> <March 2006 Office Doors Installed> <September 2005 Swiss Days in Midway, Utah>
<March 2005 Big Business Fair> <October 2004 Seminar><October 2004 Provo Daily Herald Article on our studio> <March 2004 Tenth Annual Stained Glass and Bead Expo in Las Vegas> <September 2002 Provo Daily Herald Article on DeeAnn Thaxton> <May 2002 Our Spring Show> <Dec 1989 Nativity Scene Donated To Town> <April 1983 Pierce City Leader Journal in Missouri, First Article on our business>

News

December 2007 "Visions Of Light" Opening

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Last Night’s Opening of the art show, “Visions Of Light” at the Covey center was spectacular. The show opened at 6 pm and ran till 9 pm. Stained Glass artists Jeanne and David Gomm displayed their work and were in attendance to discuss details about stained glass. Oil color artist and historical costuming expert Lynde Mott also displayed many of her original oil paintings. Dressed in a period full length dress, Mrs. Mott happily told stories that gave new life and meaning to many of the paintings on display. All through the evening, hundreds of visitors at the opening were entertained by vivid images that the artists described about their work.

This is the first time that so many works of any of these artists have been on display at one time. Lynde has gathered many of the works that have since been sold or were originally commissioned to clients for this show. “I seriously doubt that I’ll want to do this again anytime soon,” Mrs. Mott said Friday night, “The time that goes into planning and setting up this kind of show is so consuming. But I must say, The Covey Center is a really beautiful place for this kind of exhibit.”

The Gomm’s were equally happy with the venue. “This show really came together,” Jeanne Gomm stated, “We like the way that the hanging stained glass kind of floats in the air in the center of the room and then Lynde’s paintings fill the walls with such vivid colors.”

The exhibit really is a colorful one. The hues in the oil paintings seem especially vivid and the stained glass panels look very good with the gallery’s lights trained on them. “Of course, stained glass always looks better during the daytime,” David Gomm commented, “I’ve been encouraging folks who have come tonight to come back during the daytime to see the windows at their best. The four panels that we built for the center and are on permanent display over there in the north wall look so much better with the light coming through them during the day.”

The windows that Gomm was referring to are a four panel scene in mostly clear textured glass which Gomm Studios built for The Covey Center For The Arts. The mountain scene is a representation of the actual mountain skyline to the East of the arts center, even featuring the “Y” of the mountainside. “People have asked me why the Gomm’s put the “Y” in the stained glass,” Kathryn Allen, community relations spokesperson for the Covey Center said, “And I tell them that we are a Provo based art center and the “Y” is a symbol of our community that is real and represents an important part of the community. It’s also why the tulips are in the window, because we have tulips planted downtown and that image is part of the area.”

Rain and snow didn’t seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds in attendance at this opening. Scheduled to coincide with the First Friday Gallery Stroll that is a monthly event in downtown Provo and with a one night concert by The Utah Premiere Brass, hundreds of people were in attendance.

“Visions Of Light” will run through the 27^th of December during regular hours of The Covey Center. They are open from 10 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. The exhibit is no charge and all members of the community are welcome to attend. The Covey Center For The Arts, located at 425 West Center Street in Provo (the site of the old library) promises to be a true gathering place for the community. Many events are featured on their web site www.coveycenter.org . “We’ve already hosted several shows and concerts in the short time we’ve been open,” Paul Duerden, general manager of the Covey Center said, “We see this place becoming a cultural center for the community.”

“It has been an honor to work with the people at the Covey Center,” David Gomm remarked, “Most people I’ve talked to haven’t heard of the center and haven’t yet attended any of the concerts or plays here. They’ve already hosted four large art exhibits and each one of them has been first class.”

Jeanne and David Gomm live in Provo and build stained glass windows in their home studio. You can see many of the pieces they’ve built at www.gommstudios.com Featured in an article in the Daily Herald in October, 2004, they are slowly becoming well known for their unique method of stained glass building. “We build stained glass in the style that Louis Comfort Tiffany pioneered in the late 1800’s,” Jeanne mentioned, “It is a very labor intensive method, but is very strong and allows us to create a great deal of detail that other methods wouldn’t allow us. It also lets us create a patina, which is a coloring to the lead line of the window, which isn’t available using other methods.”

“Stained glass has allowed us to meet many people that we wouldn’t have, otherwise,” Jeanne continued, “We met Lynde because she saw our work in the Parade Of Homes several years ago. She asked about us and we’ve been doing work together ever since.”

Mrs. Mott admits to loving the art of stained glass, “I have 44 windows in my home and only 5 stained glass pieces, so I still need another 39 before I’ll be done.” She said that a few years ago, now she has built at least another 8 stained glass panels. When she arranged to have the Gomm’s to build the first panel that they made for her, she said, “I can’t build stained glass and I have the scars to prove it.” But after seeing the techniques that the Gomm’s use for building stained glass, she felt she could do it. “The methods they use are so much easier than the one’s they taught in my college stained glass course.”

The gothic angel figure that hangs prominently in the exhibit seems to say a lot about the artists featured in this show. Jeanne sketched a small representation of the angel they wanted to create. Lynde redrew it in a larger format and added details to the design and then David redrew the design in AutoCAD so that parts of the window could be drawn with exactness and the size could be any that they wanted. “Lynde wanted it to be eight feet tall when we first started with the design,” David revealed, “But I thought it should only be six feet high, then when we printed out the pattern, Lynde gawked at it.” “I don’t know what I was thinking!” she admitted. They eventually built the Angel to be the 4-1/2 feet high that she is in the show.

“You know, we didn’t plan it but there really is a Christmasy feeling about this show,” Jeanne concluded.

October 23, 2006 Jeanne and David were invited to be on Studio 5, a local daily news show for a segment about using stained glass to decorate a pumpkin.

Download The Pumpkin Pattern

We got a call from the folks at Studio Five asking if we wanted to be on the show and use stained glass to decorate a pumpkin. So we set about brainstorming about how to go about it and we came up with some fun ideas. We created a pdf file so that people who saw the segment could get the pattern to build their own decorated pumpkin.

Here Jeanne sets up for the show.

Here Jeanne is with Brooke Walker, one of the hosts of the show.

We met Senator Orin Hatch at the show. He thought we might be able to join him at his women's conference next year to teach about stained glass.

Here is Jeanne with both Brooke Walker and Darin Adams as they show off their completed pumpkins.

News Release………For immediate release Mar 20, 2006

Stained Glass panels are in the process of being installed in the new offices of Dave Gardner, local real estate developer. The windows are big, beautiful and highly decorative. What makes them especially unusual is that three, sometimes competing, local businesses are working together to complete the project.

Local decorator, Dennis Alger, first contacted Gomm Stained Glass last October to come up with a design that would work in harmony with the décor of the offices. Gomm Stained Glass then worked with Glass Images in Provo to have the completed art panels encased in 3/16 inch tempered glass. The installation was then done by Glass Doctor in Springville.

“It was great to work on such an ambitious project,” David Gomm said, “It’s always gratifying to be able to build a stained glass piece which is unusual and great art.” David and Jeanne Gomm (husband and wife team) worked together on the windows and based the design of the transoms and some of the doors to the building on designs of Frank Lloyd Wright and other designers of the Prarie and Mission Style movements. “We were very happy that Glass Images agree to encase the art glass in the tempered glass for us. We knew it would be very heavy and awkward to work with and they take very good care when they work with our glass.”

Dave Lynn, owner of Glass Images in Provo, said, “We treat everyone’s glass as if it were our own. We know how much work goes into building a piece of stained glass and we try to show respect for the work.” He told Gomm that he was a little surprised that it took so long to get the finished panels installed.

“There were a few snags,” Gomm admitted, “One of the transom openings was a little taller than planned and new wood trim needed to be made for the project.” And that wasn’t the only thing that went wrong during construction. A week or two after offices were set up and the office staff had moved into the offices, a leak developed in the roof of the building. Some water damage was the result and the install had to wait while some damage to ceilings was repaired. “They were really in panic mode for a week or two, cleaning things up.”

“We were hoping that Glass Images could help with the install of the glass when it was complete, but their schedule was just too full,” Gomm said, “Dave (Lynn) recommended the folks at Glass Doctor in Springville, and we couldn’t be happier with their work. They made several extra trips, delivering glass to the door manufacturer’s, Burton Lumber in Lindon. They met and exceeded our expectations all around.”

The main pieces of glass were installed in the front door and in a sidelight in a conference room March 8^th. The Art Nuevo design of the conference room is based on a 1920's design on the elevator doors of the Chrysler Building in New York City. Gomm named the piece “The Egyptian Fan.” The sidelight is 34” x 90” (just under 3 feet by seven and a half feet). “The glass weighed a lot and it was great to watch the guys from Glass Doctor attach suction cups to the big panel and hoist it in place, “Gomm said.

The new office building, located at 724 N 1890 W Unit #35 in Provo by the Independent School, should be getting the final transom window installed sometime this week.

“We never feel that we’re really in competition with one another”, Gomm stated, “We really find that there is plenty of work for all of us to do and we enjoy working with others who know the business and appreciate the subtleties and challenges that each of us face.”

In September 2005 we attended Swiss Days in Midway, Utah. This is a big arts and crafts fair which lasts two days and is one of the better fairs in the U.S. We had never attended the fair as either a customer or a vendor so we really didn't know what to expect. We learned a lot about how fairs work and met a lot of very nice people. The other folks who ran stained glass related booths were friendly and open and very interesting.

In March 2005 We were able to set up a small display at the Orem-Provo Chamber Of Commerce sponsored Big Business Fair. A friend had more booth space than he'd planned on and offered us a chance to fill some of it.

On October 21, 2004 We taught 48 students about stained glass at a seminar at Provo Art and Frame. It was a good experience and we think all who attended had a good time. Their were 20 people who couldn't come to the class because it was full, so we hope to do it again sometime.

On October 17, 2004 the following article was published in the Provo Daily Herald


Provo couple make their living selling, teaching about stained glass
Cody Clark DAILY HERALD What do Yule log, champagne clear, sugar plum and under the sea have in common? Each phrase refers to a color, though not one that you'd find in a box of Crayolas. These colors are the shades of stained glass used by Provo artists David and Jeanne Gomm. "We bought a piece of glass from a supplier here in Utah and they had named it," David explained. "They called it moonstone. We thought that was so cool. So we called our regular supplier and said, 'We need some moonstone glass.' They said, 'What?' And it turned out it was called 311.02.	"Well, that's no fun." Fun is important to the Gomms, who will be teaching a special workshop for stained glass beginners Thursday night at Provo Art and Frame. Kim Anderson, owner of Provo Art and Frame, has known David and Jeanne for about two years. "They really have fun at what they're doing," Anderson said. "They enjoy stained glass and they enjoy sharing their talents and experience." Stained glass is more than just an artistic passion for the Gomms -- over the past couple of years, it's become their primary source of income.

As many artists dream of doing, David and Jeanne have made the leap from the 9-to-5 world to a place where they make their own schedules, manage their own Web site (www.gommstudios.com) and, in a manner of speaking, sign their own paychecks. "We got our first order and everything kind of worked out," Jeanne said. That's become a pattern for their lives. David described their current schedule: "A fellow we talked to in June or July finally made the commitment to get going on his project, so that will give us enough to go on for another month. That takes care of our November house payment. We still don't know about December." Some of the money comes from private commissions. Lehi-based personal injury attorney Keith Barton had several panels created by the Gomms for the aviary at his home in Alpine. Their work can also be found in an Idaho cabin that belongs to Utah Jazz owner and auto magnate Larry Miller. The rest comes from commercial jobs and from sharing the secrets of stained glass with people who want to try their own hand at it. They teach classes at their home, an unassuming red-brick residence off Geneva Road in Provo where David has converted the garage into a fully functioning stained glass studio. The environment is comfortably casual. On the morning of their Daily Herald interview, both Gomms wore jeans and moved easily around the garage showing off their current project, a pair of windows done in collaboration with painter Lynde Mott that the three of them hope to place in an upcoming exhibit at the Springville Museum of Art. Each window depicts a woman in 19th-century attire holding a parasol over one shoulder. Mott described herself as a stickler for detail and said that she appreciates the Gomms' willingness to perfect small touches. One of their recent discussions revolved around the shape of a ribbon on the dress in one of the windows. Mott pointed out the finished piece. "These cuts are hard," she said. "David, being the stalwart man that he is, put a V-cut in that ribbon, because that's how it would have been done in that period." The Gomms' patience and willingness to accommodate others has also helped them be successful with their teaching. They currently offer a six-week class that meets once a week for two hours in their studio. Low key, fun class Pleasant Grove resident DeeAnn Thaxton said that the Gomms' class is "really low key and fun. They've made me feel very confident about all the different parts or the process." That includes creating a design, selecting glass, scoring it, cutting it and soldering the pieces together. Thaxton, 51, attends classes with her daughter-in-law. She never feels uncomfortable asking a question during class, she said, and doesn't hesitate to call the Gomms during the week if confronted by an especially perplexing stained glass problem. Anderson has taken the class and said the Gomms are especially adept at teaching beginners. "They understand how to teach stained glass very simply and in a very structured manner," he said, adding that they have a broad knowledge of stained glass techniques: "They know what's been done in the past, what works and what doesn't." Susan Nicholes, also from Pleasant Grove, said the Gomms have different strengths that make them a potent teaching team. "Jeanne helps us take our ideas through the design stage," she said. "David is very good at teaching the technical aspects. He's very picky about our soldering." The Gomms, parents of seven and grandparents of 10, also help their students to stretch. Nicholes, 43, said that one of her first projects was very complex. Instead of urging her to take on something simpler, however, the Gomms encouraged her ambition and patiently guided her efforts. "They're always in the studio the entire time during class," Nicholes said. "Always there to help and give suggestions." Their poise in the studio might lead you to assume that the Gomms had dedicated teachers of their own. But Jeanne learned everything she knows from David, and David was almost entirely self-taught. And though the Gomms, both 50, have been doing stained glass for more than two decades, it's not something that either of them learned in childhood or during their high school and college years. David, whose hair and mustache are now a grandfatherly salt-and-pepper hue -- Jeanne's long blond hair makes her look several years younger, despite their nearness in age -- recalled being a curious 5-year-old and watching his father cut a piece of glass. That's all that happened to stir his interest until a time in his early 20s when he attempted to replace a stained glass window in his own home. "I had gone into a craft store and bought stuff and I took it home and put it together," he said. "It was really ugly and we left that behind and tried to forget all about it." Rediscovering stained glass Nearly a decade went by before David felt moved to make a second attempt. The year was 1982 and this time he enrolled in a class, the only one he's ever taken. On the first day of class, the teacher gave an overview of stained glass and demonstrated all of the tools and their uses. "I didn't need another piece of instruction after that," David said. "You know the tools. You know the techniques." The rest was second nature. Within a year, he started his own studio. For most of the next 20 years, stained glass was an important sideline for the Gomms, who settled in Pierce City, Mo. In addition to honing his craft in the studio, David taught a course in stained glass at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Mo. While they lived in Missouri, the family's main income was provided by what David called "the best job I've ever had in my life" -- working for a chemical manufacturer that produces a key preservative used in Pepsi. His responsibilities included working as a draftsman, doing project management, creating a safety film and, after the Internet came along, building the company intranet. "As long as it filled a need that the company had, they let me do it. And it was a blast." David's adaptability is something the Gomms' students have noticed today. "David is a jack of all trades," said Nicholes. Or as Thaxton put it, "He's really good at figuring out how to do things." The Gomms' eldest son, Christopher, 31, said his parents have never been afraid to try new things. His mother, he said, has always had a wide-ranging interest in the arts. "She enjoyed drama and acting. She's worked in a lot of different mediums such as watercolor or quilting. She would always encourage us to be creative." One summer the family took a vacation. His parents, Christopher said, surprised their children by renting a pontoon boat. "We'd never done that before. We said, 'We're not boat people.' They said, 'Well, how do we know that we're not boat people?' "We had a really good time." It was the Gomms' children who gradually drew them to Utah Valley. David, raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had lived in Utah a couple of times in childhood as his family followed his father's job around the country. Jeanne, raised Catholic, grew up in Colorado, where the two of them met in high school and were married not long after graduation. Shortly after they wed, Jeanne moved to Utah to live with David's parents for a couple of months while David completed a term in the army. While in Utah, she adopted her husband's religious beliefs. David performed her LDS baptism at a service held in the basement of the Salt Lake Tabernacle and their faith became the heart of their household. Hence, when the Gomms' children started considering college, "it was like, 'Well, I'm gonna go off to college, so I guess I'll go to Utah,' " David said. With their kids and, after a time, their grandchildren, so far from Missouri, the Gomms gradually came around to the idea of relocating. Cut to Provo and, following the unexpected loss of David's new job -- working for a metalworks company in Salt Lake City -- at the end of 2001, the birth of Gomm Studios. Jeanne said starting a business together was intimidating. But it's also been rewarding in more ways than just ensuring their financial security. Both Gomms worried about suddenly spending so much time side by side after years of typical workaday separation. But the change in their lifestyle had the opposite effect. "One benefit of our company is that it's brought us closer together," Jeanne said. They don't regret their decision, even knowing that it might not ultimately work out. Jeanne said she'd advise other artists to take the leap. "If it's in the back of your mind and you feel it in your heart, you have to do it. Even if it doesn't work and you end up doing something else, you have to try." "We have a glass inventory that's worth $27,000 today," David said. He turned to gesture at a small cabinet before continuing. "When we started out in Missouri, we only had as much as you can see in that tiny little rack there. "You start small and you work your way up." Cody Clark can be reached at 344-2542 or cclark@heraldextra.com. Stained Glass Workshop Hosts: David and Jeanne Gomm What: Build a star using beveled glass Where: Provo Art and Frame, 201 W. Center St., Provo When: Thursday, 7 - 9 p.m. Cost: $7.50 per person Info: 375-1150 This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.

March 20, 2004 Jeanne and I attended the tenth annual Stained Glass and Bead Expo in Las Vegas. It was the first time we've attended the expo. Every year we've wanted to go but we always seem to feel that we're too busy. This year we've been emphasizing the professional side of our business more and felt that it would help to attend and rub shoulders with others in the industry. It was great to met our stained glass salesman (Scott at D&L) and renew acquaintances with people we’ve worked with. We met one friend (Mike at Merry Go Round in Springfield Missouri) who we haven’t seen in twenty years. It’s great to see people who have been in the business so long and are still having fun and enjoying the art and beauty of stained glass. A large emphasis was on the hot glass end of the business. There were good examples of hot glass work, slumping and fusing. Many pieces which inspired us. In fact we’ve decided to expand our glass inventory to include the Wissmach Glass line. Some of the mixed colors they offer will complement the color palette of the Spectrum glass that we already offer and is very affordable.

The glass Expo isn't for everyone. We sent our daughter, Camille, to the Expo for us two years ago and she didn't pick up any literature or talk to anyone. Afterwards she described it as high priced and boring. And it's true, glass beads at five bucks a pop are expensive, but when you consider the cost of dichoric glass and the effort put in to bead making, it seems more reasonable.

But while we attended the glass expo, I was able to renew my subscription to a couple of the glass magazines that I've let expire and found a new one that I wasn't aware of. Now all I have to do is READ them !

I would only recommend the Expo to those in the business, although there are some fantastic classes (at fantastic prices) for those who want to stay the full four days of the expo.

Diagnosis gave woman impetus to pursue dream
KAREN HOAG The Daily Herald on Monday, September 16, 2002

PLEASANT GROVE -- For DeeAnn Thaxton, a life-threatening illness helped make a lifelong dream come true.

Thaxton, 48, of Pleasant Grove has always wanted to create a stained-glass window, but it took a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis two years ago for her to be inspired to pursue her goal in earnest. Last week, the mother of five unveiled a 57-by-34-inch stained-glass window to family and friends in her home studio.

Called "The Kid's Dream" by husband, Scott, -- who gave DeeAnn the nickname "The Kid" -- her piece depicts a cowboy on horseback leading a packhorse. The scene reminds Thaxton of her grandfather, who was a sheepherder.

Of the 400 pieces of glass, 100 of them are in the border -- an American Indian in design.

"I like the outdoors," she said simply. "It's not a blue sky; I wanted it early morning when the sun was coming up." The stained-glass art blends in with other Western pieces in the Thaxtons' home, with a saddle and tools from the family farm on display.

Now that her dream has been realized, she wants to do more projects with stained glass. "When you have a chronic illness and can do something creative, it kind of boosts your spirit," DeeAnn said. "You never know when you are going to have a relapse."

She was diagnosed at the beginning of 2000 and laid flat in bed from February to September that year.

Her symptoms were numbness and heaviness in her legs, chest and back. Other symptoms include difficulty seeing, hearing, swallowing or remembering things.

A magnetic resonance imaging showed a lesion on her spine and three lesions on her brain. "I must have had multiple sclerosis for a long time," she said, but would brush off the symptoms -- facial numbness and falls -- because she was busy with her children.

"The year before I had problems with my back and weakness in my legs," she added. "Then I woke up in the middle of the night and could feel numbness in my toes and go up my body to my back and I couldn't walk." Scott rushed her to the emergency room. Next, a neurologist diagnosed DeeAnn with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system. According to Dr. Robert Satovick, director of the MS Clinic of the Western Neurological Association in Salt Lake City, the causes of the incurable disease are unknown.

Satovick, who is Thaxton's neurologist, says the unpredictable disease may or may not be disabling.

The artist remembers seeing a movie before her diagnosis of a woman with multiple sclerosis whose husband divorced her. "So I asked myself, 'Will my husband divorce me? Will I end up in a rest home?' "

A son, Jason, 29, has Hodgkin's lymphoma, so throughout his radiation and chemotherapy and her numbness and burning sensations they give "buck up" talks to one another.

Running a marathon is another dream of Thaxton's, but that's out of the question. However, she and son Nick, 18, decided to run the 5K at Strawberry Days in Pleasant Grove this year. "I finished fourth place in my age division," she said proudly. "That's a real success for me. Of course, I couldn't do anything the rest of the day."

Thaxton and family have adapted. Hiking is too strenuous, but she's discovered four-wheeling, and the family continues to go camping. "We don't rough it as much or go as long," she said. "We go in cooler times of the year." The heat saps her strength.

"There are times I can't do things -- the fatigue is too bad," she said. "I can't walk as well and have to plan out things. I can't clean my whole house at one time like I used to."

Cooking is a joy to her, so sometimes she "saves up" her energy to cook for her family.

Since the onset of the disease, Thaxton's symptoms have been treated and her health has improved. Weekly shots of a medicine called Avonex have kept the disease from progressing.

Thaxton has a part-time job arranging flowers at Perennial Gardens in Orem. She works four hours a day, four days a week to pay for the expensive medicine that's not fully covered by insurance.

The stained glass venture "makes me happy" she said, and added, "If I have to do art with a paintbrush in my teeth, I'll do it." The diversion has added a dimension to her life.

Her instructors at Stained Glass Studios (www.gommstudios.com), David and Jeanne Gomm of Provo, went beyond the six-week stained glass course with DeeAnn. "All the students stopped by to see what was happening with DeeAnn's window," Jeanne said. "Not a class went by when she didn't say, 'I'm so excited about this.' "

David, upon seeing the unveiling of her huge window, said in awe, "I just have to sit here and look at every piece of glass. The cowboy's coat looks like leather and around his collar it looks like fleece."

The class brought a feeling of accomplishment after some depressing times for the artist.

"At first I had a really hard time and asked, 'Why did this have to happen to me?' and was pretty down about it," she said. "After awhile my faith, my family and thinking positive helped. Even if I end up in a wheelchair or rest home, I feel like I can deal with it."

Thaxton says her life is much fuller now because of her appreciation of all things.

"Just open your eyes and be grateful you can see," she said.

E-mail Karen Hoag at khoag@heraldextra.com. This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C1.

April was International Stained glass month. We held our Spring Show on Geneva Road. It rained the week of the 27th so we held it an additional day on May 4th, 2002.

Angel Herring, one of our students, won the drawing for the window

Our Spring Show was fun. It was great to show some of our work and spend time with friends who stopped by.

1989

Stained glass nativity a gift to Pierce City

By Marti Attoun - Globe Staff Writer - PIERCE CITY, Mo. (Joplin Globe, Joplin Missouri, 12/1989)

After four years' work, Jeanne and David Gornm have completed their Christmas gift to the city - a three-panelstained glass nativity scene.
When the Gomms started making the 12-foot-wide. window, they- had no idea that they would be piecing; their lives. together along with the window.
"The city of Pierce City commissioned the piece, but since that time our house burned down. We had to completely replace walls and ceilings. The window is so huge, you have to have a room just for it," says Jeanne.
While the Gomms rebuilt their home, they and their six children lived in a former chicken house: Jeanne says they were fortunate, though, that no one was hurt in the fire.
"We really have a better house now because the wiring and plumbing and everything is new." They also built an addition and included an upstairs workshop which is where they set to work again on the stained glass.
The city paid for the glass, about $1,000, and the Gomms donated their labor and talents. A Pierce City resident willed money to the city specifically to be used for a religious picture.
Jeanne designed the window, which depicts Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus at the manger. David cut the more than.500 pieces in it.
"I consider Jeanne the artist and I'm the craftsman," David says. He formerly owned a combination stained glass studio and video store in Pierce City.
The Gomms wanted to build the window to show their gratitude to the cornmunity and also to promote their art work. They moved here from Colorado about six. years ago and are active in community affairs. Jeanne is former president of the Chamber of Commerce and the couple organized the fall festival one year. They're also active in .the local Cub Scouts.
"This is really a nice place to raise your family. We don't have any crime rate," says David. "If you see someone speeding, you just talk to the chief of police and he'll go and talk to them or their family."
David says it was easier to start his own business in a small town. At one time, he owned the only video stores between Joplin and Springfield - in Pierce City, Aurora and Mount Vernon. When business lagged, he worked on the stained glass.
After he sold the businesses, David went to work at Ozark Center in Joplin and also to college to pursue an industrial education degree. He has taught stained glass to some of the kids at the Ozark Center, a home for troubled children.
"It's pretty rewarding to give the kids something that looks so good," David says. "I think people ought to build their own stained glass. There's something so satisfying and rewarding about building a work of art."
Jeanne says the relaxing work "reminds me of putting together a quilt or a puzzle."
For the Gomms, looking at the elaborate stained glass nativity scene also spurs memories.
"My youngest son would practice his reading while I worked on the window, so when I see some of these pieces, I think of The Hardy Boys," Dayid says. Their youngest daughter, now 5, was a baby when they started on the window.
The window now will be displayed at City Hall for all the townspeople to enjoy. The Gomms, meanwhile, will continue piecing their home back together.

The First Newspaper Article about our stained glass business when we were located in Missouri, From the Pierce City Leader Journal, April 1983:
Dry Valley Studios owned and operated by Mr. David Gomm located at 105 Commercial St. is a new business that has recently opened in Pierce City. Mr. Gomm specializes in stained glass windows, signs, and lamp shades. He is shown with one of his latest pieces. In his business he also offers a video movie club and disc-player rental by the day or week. He will be starting stain glass classes on April 18 consisting of a three hour class once a week for six weeks and on May 3 will begin a one and half hour class twice a week for six weeks. For these classes people may contact Mr. Gomm by stopping in at his new business for more information and sign up.

Mr. Gomm has had eight years experience with stain glass work and has been actively involved in the business and teaching for over a year. His business hours…

		Phone (801) 344-0178 • Fax (510) 892-4564
GOMM STUDIOS + CUSTOM ART GLASS + CABINET INSERTS + GIFTS COLLECTIBLE ART + STAINED GLASS GALLERY + ABOUT US + LINKS

Provo couple make their living selling, teaching about stained glass