About the Green Anole Drawing
After decades of fieldwork, I have handled and observed thousands of Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis). They are among the most familiar reptiles of the southeastern United States, yet their abundance can make it easy to overlook their beauty, individuality, and remarkable behavior.
Green Anoles have traditionally been called “American chameleons” because they can shift between green and brown coloration, although they are not true chameleons. Their changing appearance, alert eyes, delicate toes, and ability to move confidently through shrubs, trees, fences, and porches make them a constant but often underappreciated part of the southeastern landscape.
While Eye of the Beholder focused closely on the extraordinary color and detail surrounding the eye of this same species, Our Chameleon presents the entire animal in graphite. I wanted the resting pose, folded limbs, fine scales, and watchful expression to reveal the quiet complexity of a lizard that many people see every day without truly noticing.
Our Chameleon is a graphite pencil Green Anole drawing by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art. Reference photograph courtesy of W. W. Lamar.