I wanted to make a stained glass piece for my sister, Kathleen Greene, who lives in Arkansas. She and her husband love birds and flowers, so we brainstormed an idea for a hummingbird window. The inspiration photo Kathy sent me was of a hummingbird perched on a swing. The arched shape of the swing inspired the shape of the open area in the center of the window (I actually traced around one), but it felt as if the hummingbird needed to be three-dimensional and hanging rather than perched, since their flight and movement are such an integral part of their beauty. I’ve always been enchanted by the idea of secret gardens, like those in New Orleans or the ones you see historically in so many cultures, particularly those of the Middle East and I think the design of the window was at least partially affected by that love – a little secret garden made of glass.