Gila Monster loves ice cream on this Tucson mural

Muralist Joe Pagac is probably most famous for his whales in the Tucson sunset mural at Grant and Campbell. Although the cowboy cyclist and pals down on 6th would rank pretty high on a list of his best murals in Tucson.

But I’d like to nominate a pair of murals–or perhaps it is one mural wrapped around a retaining wall corner–he completed in 2018 at an ordinary looking home on 1st where it becomes Euclid. One side is a venomous Gila Monster licking his lips at the offer of an ice cream cone. Around the corner of this wall is a Western Fence Lizard–also called a Blue Belly Lizard–reading a self-improvement book.

Here is what it looks like now:

The Gila Monster looks as if he is turning away from a pink umbrella cactus drink in favor of a strawberry, pistachio and chocolate ice cream cone offered by the ant. Or maybe the ant is trying to avoid becoming a snack. Note that the ant has a smaller cone in its right hand.

I am assuming this is a Western Fence Lizard also called a Blue Belly lizard although his belly is white in this image. Having cast aside his/her first cactus drink, he/she keeps a firm grip on a second pink umbrella drink while reading a self-help book, as you can see below. While the Gila Monster may be venomous, the Western Fence Lizard is cowardly and will run and hide when humans appear.

Push UrSelf by getting strong, running, finding a mate and following ur dream. Good advice for humans as well as Blue Belly lizards.

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