Holmes began studying ceramics at a young age and went on to study at the California College of the Arts, under the instruction of Viola Frey. It was here that she met one of the founders of the studio glass art movement, Marvin Lipofsky, who would become her teacher, mentor and friend. As her initial passion for ceramics gave way to hot glass, Holmes moved to New Mexico in 1981 to co-manage a glass shop, serve as a teaching assistant at Pilchuck Glass School, and by 1986 she established Liquid Light Glass. Over the course of the following decades, Holmes showed her work in galleries and museums across the country and internationally. In 2000, she acquired the Baca Street Studios, an arts complex that housed her new gallery and studio. In the same year she co-founded the Baca Street Arts District, now one of the most vibrant in New Mexico. In 2004, Holmes co-founded a second glass studio in Santa Fe, Prairie Dog Glass, which also hosts mentorship programs for local high school students and teaches developing artists. Her commitment to community education led Holmes to become a founding member of the Glass Alliance-New Mexico, a non-profit established in 2005. As an active member of this organization, she features international guest artists at her studio, Liquid Light Glass, through the Glass Alliance-New Mexico Maestro Program.