THE BLUE MONSTER BLOG #21

THE BLUE MONSTER
BLOG #21
April 26, 2021

By Emily Lee Stehle

“The Blue Monster” is the first and biggest of three hanging weavings I’m planning for the Creative Pinellas Emerging Artists Exhibit. The opening is July 14; I still have much to do. And will slog on.

My friend Nomi Jean asked why I call this particular piece a monster. The word came in jest as in describing “a thing of extraordinary or daunting size” (Oxford dictionary). The Cambridge English Dictionary defines a monster as “an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly and frightening.”

And it is a monster because it will be large (I hope not ugly) and the thought of physically pulling this off makes me cringe…somewhat. So kind of apprehensive and excited at the same time. Like the movie heros are…the ones that battle Godzilla, The Crawling Eye, one of my all-time favorite monsters (don’t ask why ’cause I don’t know) and the velociraptors that live in Jurassic Park.

I have laid out my plans for a recycled paper weaving that will be 4 ft. wide and 12 ft. long. It is that long to take advantage of the ceiling height of the Creative Pinellas Gallery. The truth is, I’ve never made anything larger than 2 x 2 ft. So “the Blue Monster” truly will be monstrous in size and in various shades of blue and green and whatever shows up on the paper. It is a daunting challenge.

As I’ve mentioned previously, I don’t have a large workspace. I find myself measuring and re-measuring the various sections of the blue-green panel and have determined that three sections of weavings each measuring about 4 x 4 ft. should work.

But I have to be thoughtful in my thinking as to how the three sections are meshed together to be cohesive. Figuring out my next steps and the best, the most efficient and eye-appealing way to do it.

I’m working on the three sections, drilling holes in color plastic disks (like tiddlywinks but actually caps on medicine syringes and containers mailed to me from a ukulele friend who lives in Illinois) and laying out in my mind, the placements on the woven paper. I will have to sew on these disks like beads on fabric. Aluminum pull tabs, some already lime green and turquoise blue, and other transformed by a coat or two of old nail polish are woven directly into the paper.

The drilling of holes is taking time; the battery lasts only 45 minutes! But, I’m happy to say, this is easy prep. I’m liking these pleasing colors as I say to myself what emotions are evoked by the colors blue and green. Definitely comforting.

Blue: “depth of feeling,” passive, concentric, tranquility, calm, tenderness, serene, trustworthy, friendly, inviting.