Dog.
Cat.
That thing from Star Wars.
That thing from Dark Crystal.
Ogre.
Scarecrow.
The Chimera was called many things by many people, and all wanted to know WHAT in the end it really was.
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| From 2011 buildup |
What is was. That has as many answers as there are people looking and wondering.
The Chimera was born out of a storm. Having lost our props to a storm in 2010, a new direction was settled on, originally meant to be a one-off fun pumpkin centric theme. It soon developed into what I wanted to do from then on.
The Chimera began life as the first time I wasn’t just trying to replicate something I’d seen. I didn’t want just ANY scarecrow to go with this new pumpkin centric theme. It was a cry to find my own voice. My own style. Something entirely, ME. As such, the lessons learned and mistakes made on it were monumental.
Very early on, it suffered a break on a leg, and I had to do a patch.
At the final stages, the Chimera become a rallying point for me. A defining moment. THIS is not just who I WAS, but where I wanted to go, who I wanted to BE.
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| From Halloween 2012 |
I would move on to other pieces. But the Chimera heart would be there.
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| From 2013 buildup |
To the point where I began to ask in my own mind: Is that a Chimera?
Pieces to the outside that might not seem it are the descendants of the original Chimera.
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| From 2015 |
Over the years, the Chimera sat stalwart through the winters and winds that would see it standing stalwart in the front yard. But time gets to everyone. Things broke. I would fix. Other things broke, I’d patch.
This spring saw one last storm. The chimera tipped over, and curled up. We went to stand him up and the wood at the heart of the frame just started to disintegrate. I had long been amused by the mushrooms growing off him adding to it. But, time wins.
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| From 2016 Buildup |
What was, no, what IS the Chimera?
A testament to creativity. Talking point for some. Inspiration to others.
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| From Buildup 2015 |