Bengal Monitors are characterised by their grey scaly skin, long tail, clawed feet and snake-like tongue, which could easily remind us of those prehistoric dinosaurs. The adults grow upto 5 foot in length. 

Clambered upon a rocky outcrop, the Monitor Lizard overlooks a vast expanse of barren scrubby habitat. Their forked tongues play an important sensory role. They flick their tongue often to taste the air in order to locate prey, detect predators and to attract a mate too. Scale after scale, this large artwork drew upon every ounce of my patience. I made a whole bunch of large rough sketches from photographs to understand it’s anatomy, i spoke to a few reptile experts who have handled these lizards before, got an opportunity to visit BNHS in Bombay and make some detailed study sketches from dead specimens and also, visited the Bannerghatta zoo to sketch from life. No matter the time taken, at the end, all the effort seemed worthwhile. 

Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 60 inches
Original- SOLD

Limited edition – Archival print on Hahnemühle paper:
20 x 33 inches – ₹ 16,000/- (Print run of 50)
10 x 16.5 inches – ₹ 7,000/- (Print run of 50)