Destroying a Dream Window

I’ve never done this before.  Not in all the Dream Windows I’ve ever built and sold and given away.

But I’m tearing the last one apart.

And building a new one from its remains.

Dream Window 21: Head, Heart, Health and Hands was built for the specific purpose of entering it at the Altamont Fair’s “Recycle Your Ribbons” competition.  And although I did add another ribbon to my collection – an Honorable Mention for the project – I needed to change things around.

And “change things around” I did.  I tore out the ribboned panels.  I took the pins out of the frames.  The pins went into a little cup.  The ribbons went elsewhere.

Then I took a chisel and bashed out the center wooden bar that separates the two big center panels, essentially creating a 44 1/4″ x 12″ mega-panel.

And you’re probably thinking … “Oh my God, Chuck, what in the name of upcycling and recycling are you doing?  Have you lost your damn fool mind?”

Not really.

Look.  I’ve built almost two dozen Dream Windows in my lifetime.  Some were sold at charitable auctions.  Others were sold at private events.  A few were donated.  I do that.

A Dream Window is, for me, more than just an assemblage of wood and glass and photos.  It’s an extension of my personal motivations.  The highs and lows of whatever I’ve achieved in this world.  My successes, my failures, my wishes and my regrets.

I build Dream Windows to help turn the intangible, emotional parts of my inner soul into tangible, definitive parts of my outer consciousness.  And once they’re done … I exhibit them.  Maybe for a short time, maybe for years, who knows?

But one thing is definite.  If I do create a Dream Window project, it’s very rare that I keep it for any length of time.  And, over time, I thought about what this Dream Window meant to me.

It was a challenge.  And I accepted the challenge and it was successful.

Now it’s time for a new challenge.  I’ve decided to turn this latest Dream Window framework into a new Dream Window concept, one that’s been in the back of my mind.  A concept that I thought about on a chilly evening last year in Essex County.

And if everything comes together today – if the prints from McGreevy Pro Lab are complete … if the custom-cut glass from Hobby Lobby is complete …

You may see a new Dream Window sooner than you expected.

I’m just sayin’ is all … 😀