Pygmalion and the Wizard
May 26, 2017
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was an Irish dramatist who transformed the Victorian theater by rejecting melodrama for social consciousness that express his radical views and philosophies in the theater. His play Pygmalion (1913) was adapted into a musical called My Fair Lady in 1956.
Drawing of Pygmalion the Parrot by Meredith Eliassen, 2017.
The Wizard was wise – but he knew nothing.
The Wizard was kind – but he cared nothing.
The Wizard did good – but he did nothing.
He was just himself.
And the Parrot, apparently, was only a dirty, stupid, squawking She-parrot; but the Wizard took her, and taught her, and turned her squawk into the most beautiful voice, and turned her into a most beautiful… but I mustn’t tell you that until the end of my story.
(This image was inspired by the designs of Phyllis A. Trery and the introductory words from a retelling of George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” in Tales from Bernard Shaw told in the Jungle by Gwladys Evan Morris and illustrated by Phyllis A. Trery, London: George G. Harrap & Co., 1929.)
Who is this Lady Luck?
September 22, 2016
My mother has been telling me about the “lady friend” of Lucky the Lizard for several months now… and she always refers to her as Lady Luck. This past weekend she finally described Lady to me in a way that I could picture her. Though the description changes with Lady’s mood and backdrop from her having gray and black stripes to Pokka dots remains the same… I am not yet convinced that she is part of Lucky’s posse, because she is reportedly pissed whenever he goes on his travels… whatever.
Lady Luck, a lizard in Sedona, Arizona, as seen by Meredith Eliassen, 2016.
The one constant in descriptions of Lady’s tail… you see… is that she lost it and it grew back gray. Nobody knows the story, and she won’t tell. Maybe a hawk stole it, or a lightening bolt hit her, or she was not fast enough in exiting my parents’ place and one of the poodles took a bite out of her (though they are both gentlemen, really…) Whatever her story might be, her tail grew back, you see, and life goes on…
As this description filled my thought, a true picture emerged of Lady Luck as a survivor in the desert, as the lizard that captured Lucky’s heart when he first saw her in the light of morning dawn as she perched on the Red Rock. Not only was her tail regrown but she was transformed into a critter, more strong, more beautiful, and energized.
The LONG Weekend…
July 5, 2016
It was a crazy weekend. I should have known when the ravens started having loud conversations that something was coming. I had called the crickets from the lake for a drawing session, when Addison showed up, claiming that he was doing his part for Brexit… then bedlam broke out in the apartment. Addison went after the crickets, then the crickets chased the cast of Bellini’s Norma out the door. And this was before the fireworks outside started.
Addison, inspired by English essayist Joseph Addison (1672-1719)… can you see any resemblance? A hummingbird feather quill drops from the sky, will Addison follow his destiny and write, or will he raise havoc in the community? Portrait by Meredith Eliassen, 2016. Addison the Lizard Notecard
All I can say is that the ravens call things as they are… I had to call Lucky and his posse to restore order before the neighbors called the police. Last I heard Addison was turning on the charm with Miss Sally, but she has given her heart to another, unrequited. Sally, by the way, was not convinced by Addison’s British accent, she thinks he is from Eastend of Flagstaff judging by the for tricksters dancing on his back.
The Ancients…
February 4, 2016
After visiting my parents last year, I returned with a new supply of color pens and stories from the Sedona area. Meet Petro, an ancient member of the Lucky the Lizard posse, who visited my consciousness. A petroglyph is rock art created by removing rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, and Petro is drawn in the shape of an Arizona petroglyph of a lizard.
Design by Meredith Eliassen.
More on Math…
February 3, 2016
Euclid wrote: “There is no royal road to geometry.”
Adam H. Dickey wrote: “Figures are not things but thoughts; they are mental concepts, and as such they are available to every body.”
John L. Dobson wrote: “By the demise of those with poorer eyes, we gained our visual acuity, and by the demise of those with smaller brains, we improved our capacity to understand. It is that capacity which sets us apart amongst the watchers of the skies.”
Envision Euclid and Dobson together… as lizards, conversing.
Euclid (left) examines abstract calculation as Dobson (right) gazes at the heavens. Design by Meredith Eliassen, 2016.
Introducing Dobson and Euclid, the mathematical (gecko) sector of the Lucky the Lizard Posse. Euclid & Dobson Notecard
Introducing Lacy the Lizard
November 4, 2015
Reports of the elder member of the Lucky the Lizard posse surfaced when I was visiting my parents in Sedona recently and I went to investigate. The only lizard to be seen was the young ‘un hanging out on my parents front porch, but he gave me a full description of how Grandmother Spider watched the handsome Lacy dreaming wide-awake and attached her web to the back of his head so that he would carry her language to the other lizards, which I illustrate in this drawing done in the style of Peter Parnall.
Drawing of legendary lizard of the Southwest as described by anonymous young lizard on October 14th, drawn by Meredith Eliassen, 2015.
Meet Bounder (a member of Lucky’s posse)
August 17, 2015
Bounder, hailing from my parents’ corner of the world, stopped by en route to some new adventure. A lizard of few words, he did not stay long when he discovered the only spirits in my place were for cooking and not of a proof to quench his thirsts. He reported that others from the posse might check in to make sure I am okay, including the elusive Lacy… I will keep you all posted if he is seen in my neighborhood.
Bounder, member of the famous Lucky the Lizard posse seen in the southwest corner of San Francisco and headed to parts unknown. Rendered by Meredith Eliassen, 2015.
Well, it is spring and the allergies were flaring up when I sat at the drawing board about a week ago… I started with a dot that turned into a beak, and I was focused more on pattern than composition. A tune came into my head from when I was a kid playing in my parent’s backyard in Petaluma, California… the backyard was wild in its own way and a fertile place for a child’s imaginings. We had rabbits and chickens, a beloved mutt, three cats, and an occasional raccoon or blue heron would pass through. Anyway as I sang to myself, the head on the page cocked, and Mr. Wappo came into view. He is a kick with a sweet little peck, and game for good dance music.
Mr. Wappo is a kickin’ chicken with attitude. Design by Meredith Eliassen, 2015.
More from Lake Merced… before the spring rains.
April 7, 2015
We have had some spring rains after a long dry winter. Last week I was walking towards Lake Merced and the winds were creating white caps. This drawing is was result. The Chinese characters mean “gratitude” and the background graphic is inspired by I Ching: “Wind over lake: the image of inner truth.”
Chinese “gratitude” with I Ching graphic: “Wind over the lake: the image of inner truth.” Design by Meredith Eliassen, 2015.
Meet Lucky the Lizard…
March 23, 2015
My dad told me about a lizard that was an uninvited but not unwelcome visitor and this is my interpretation. Design by Meredith Eliassen 3/21/2015.
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