Stained-glass piece rises like a phoenix

In the Arts & Crafts pavilion at the 2025 Eastern New Mexico State Fair in October, a 23”x18” stained-glass hummingbird hung on a white pegboard.

The hummingbird’s beak points upward as if it is gathering nectar from the dusty rose-colored flowers adorning a leafy vine that takes the viewer’s eye around the picture. It’s an appealing circular composition with its organic lines of solder breaking up the clear glass background, but it’s the tiny iridescent feathers of the outstretched wings and tail that are the highlight.

Three ribbons accompanied the piece’s name tag: a dark blue First Place, a light blue Section Winner and a purple Best of Show. What’s not visible to the viewer, however, is the story of how the Lamontine Hummingbird ever got to

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