Holdman's interest in stained glass began in high school when a teacher acted as a mentor to Holdman's art. When he was 21, Holdman started a stained-glass studio out of his parents' garage and found patrons by traveling door-to-door. He founded Holdman Studios in 1988 in Lehi, UT. One of his first stained-glass works was for the Orem Public Library, funded by Karen and
Alan Ashton, depicting classic children's fairytales and stories. Holdman describes his introduction to glass-art, "It’s a partnership of three — the artist, the glass and the light. You are only one-third of that partnership. I loved how the light interacted with the glass. It’s hundreds of pieces of art as it is affected by the sun. That captivated me." Completed in 2016, the project took 12 years to complete at a budget of $3 million. It also contains real objects encased in glass including a Roman coin, a piece of meteorite, and a spoon from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. After an exhibition in London
The Guardian called it 'one of the most spectacular stained-glass windows made in the past century'. His work is also featured in the
Manhattan New York,
Paris France, and
Laie Hawaii temples. Holdman designed, created, and installed a four-panel depiction of Jesus Christ's life, miracles, and parables in the
visitors' center of the
Rome Italy Temple. == Personal life ==