Demons by dusk.

So.

You travel around here in Utah for any length of time, and sooner or later you will come by a witch, a devil, a demon. It seems all shapeless rock formations in Utah are named thus. Witches, Devils, Demons. For a long time I was curious just what those Mormon Pioneers were thinking with naming such rock formations.

Then, I began to look for Spider Woman. The Navajo believe that to seek Spider Woman is to find her, as the threads she weaves touch everything. And here, it was, as well. Spider Woman, creator of these Witches spread about Utah.

From 2010 Buildup

Simple rock and earth formations.

To make the long story short, it is told thus:

One day, the evil creatures of the nether regions, tired of living in the dark and dank, decided to dig up to the surface and take over everything above and below the earth. They dug and the ground trembled and rumbled. The people knew they needed otherworldly assistance, and sent a medicine man to visit Spider Woman. Seeing the plight of the people, and knowing this to be a pure man, she agreed to help, and sent this shaman to visit the god of the North.

When the shaman returned to confront the demons, Spider Woman came down and let out her web, holding them in place. The Shaman then called to the Northern god, who let out ice upon the land, freezing all these demons. When spring came, the Ice had been replaced by earth and rock, and all the demons still stand struggling to free themselves to this day.

I had intended to create some stone formations for some time, and had been pondering just how to go about it. But, random stone columns littering the lawn is one of those things that really doesn’t reach out and grab your attention. Especially when you do not know this story. So, they have been on the lower end of the priority scale for some time.

Then, I was watching South Pacific. There, in one of the scenes, there was, in the background, these wood/stone pillars with masks on them. Something clicked. Why not place faces on these stone demons?

Monster mud to the rescue.

From 2010 Buildup

What do you do when a base is not fully dry yet? Why, rope the thing to the car to it don’t tip over.

From 2010 Buildup

And, all lit…Demons by dusk.

From 2010 Buildup

Now, for reasons too complicated to relate here, I couldn’t bring these into the garage for fear they would get ruined…and, I didn’t want to fear for wind blowing them over…so, they are presently staked out front for the neighbors to ponder over.

From 2010 Buildup

They need to have a good dry brushing on top of this base, but I’m presently debating just WHAT to do that with.

They would make fabulous pieces for the black light area, so fluorescing paint is a potential here. Yet, they would make a lovely alternate to some other things I was planning on, with more traditional lighting as well.

Need to whip up some more monster mud and make some more friends…