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 BASKING BAJA CALIFORNIA COLLARED LIZARD (2003)

Acrylic on illustration board
9" x 12"
The Baja California collared lizard (Crotaphytus insularis vestigium) ranges from the San Bernardino Mountains of California, down the eastern third of Baja California, about as far south as Loreto. Since it appears not to hybridize with the Great Basin collared lizard (C. i. bicinctores), some authorities consider it a distinct species. In most paintings, detail is lost in the shadows, and appears only in illuminated areas. Here, I reversed that situation in order to strongly insinuate blazing sunlight.