Lenny

Hello ,my name is Leonardo del Muralla, but you can call me Lenny.

I am an artist, I create, sculpt, paint, and occasionally do happenings and installations.

Lets get the deformity out of the way ,eh? Ok. there are various rumors floating about, its a ritual mutilation, a duelling injury, a genetic form of leprosy and all the rest, right, the truth is it's a war wound, an honourably won relic of my time as a war artist in Afghanistan. I trod on a tin can, was blown arse over tit and ended up with a stump, but it is growing back nicely, bit short but thats a matter of time, and the scales will grow back soon, so the doctors say.

My Mum and Dad met in a vivarium on the coast , then the recession came and they were turfed out, so we ended up here. When I was twenty two I stowed away in an Army rucksack and ended up in Khandahar, miles from anywhere, I got myself embedded with the Grenadiers and patrolled with them out of Helman. Town

I have to say I am very content, I have cousins who have lost their appendages through bird attack, cats, being trapped in doors, but mine is a war wound, something to be proud of, something I can talk to my grandkids about. It doesn't stop me in any way in fact the lady lizards quite like it, being short it doesn't get in the way when we are erm......you know. You may not know this but us lizards were a major symbol in the Forties as a sign of resistance to the Nazis, especially in Poland where we were the official badge of opposition.

I live from hand to mouth mostly, an insect here, worm there, catch a cricket on the fly if we can. I have a very laid back attitude to life, a bit of sun bathing in the morning to get the blood warmed up, lurk about the stones 'til lunch,catch a passing blue bottle, run up the old wall till the sun moves round again, then disappear under a stone until it's morning again.

I don't have a social life as such, not many people drop by for a chat, we are supposed to be solitary creatures, don't form long term relationships ,shag em and leave em , no child support, no parental ties, me, suppose I have kids but I wouldn't recognise them if I passed them in the street.

I moved to Spain after my accident, the warmth is good for the growth of my stump and the light is good for my painting, when I get round to it. Its actually a nice way of life here, mostly warm, good supply of grub(s), only problem is the sodding magpies who tend to drop out of the sky and swoop you off before you know it, lost two brothers that way I have.

Don't think about the future much, you don't often see old lizards about, though apparently the Komodo cousins live for ages, suppose I will just dart from place to place 'til the crows get me or my den gets squashed when the landlord re-models the garden.

Bored, of course I am, wouldn't you be ? There is nothing exciting here, I have painted the same desert scene twenty five times now, nothing changes. Wish I had been born a chameleon, then at least I could change colour. I quite fancy being pink, just for a bit. Could lie out on the tiles, no one noticing me. Or black, wouldn't mind being a black lizard, exotic that would be , but suppose I will have to stay grey /brown for the rest of my days.