LIVE Magazine Issue #269 April 13, 2018

LIVE Magazine
by Levvy Carriker
John Thoman grew up in New Jersey where he
learned to love and appreciate art. It wasn’t
until he went to England in the fall of 2012 that
he was inspired to make his own. He went to
Liverpool to visit his mother’s grave site. He saw
the stained glass in the windows of St. Michael’s
Church in Liverpool. He was inspired with a
knowing that he would learn the art of creating
his own stained glass.
The following spring, he took lessons from Don Dietz
at the Desert Art Center for a couple of months
and is now creating his own designs and scenes.
He has been a featured artist, taped in his studio
by KESQ, CBS Local 2 News. They came to
John’s studio and included him in Eye On The
Desert. Outlaw Radio Show with Magic Matt
Alan & Producer Lori Downey, Jr. featured John
with his stained glass work commissioned for the
Radio Show.
In 2016, John taught himself to do stained glass
portraits. He has created stained glass logos
for local businesses in Palm Springs. John says
he feels very blessed to help support good
causes through his work, so he is a big giver. He
has helped raise money with his art for many
organizations, like Desert Aids Project, Desert
Arc, Wounded Warriors Project, Breast Cancer
Research, Bianca Rae Foundation, The Flower
Bank, Christopher’s Clubhouse, American
Outreach, ACT for Multiple Sclerosis, Painted
Hills Middle School, and Children’s Discovery
Museum of the Desert.
John’s pieces have sold in England, Ireland, Canada,
Mexico, and in the United States in Illinois, Texas,
Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah,
New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Louisiana,
South Carolina, Mississippi, and California. John is
a juried gallery member of the Desert Art Center.