This chameleon is not what it seems

THIS is a nice picture of a chameleon sitting on a branch, right? Right? Wrong! So very, very wrong. It’s something else entirely.

WE ALL know chameleons are good at hiding, but this clever reptile — which is actually two painted women — might be the ultimate master of disguise.

This incredible body art, by talented artist Johannes Stötter, shows a vibrantly coloured chameleon resting on a juicy green branch. The Italian artist created this piece, entitled ‘The Chameleon’, by transforming two naked models into an optical illusion inspired by the colour-shifting creature.

PIC FROM JOHANNES STOTTER / CATERS - We all know chameleons are good at hiding, but this clever reptile - which is actually two painted women - might be the ultimate master of disguise. This incredible body art, by talented artist Johannes Sttter, shows a vibrantly coloured chameleon resting on a juicy green branch. The Italian artist created this piece, entitled The Chameleon, by transforming two naked models into an optical illusion inspired by the colour-shifting creature. Having previously transformed his models into frogs and parrots, this may be the 37 year olds most intricate and impressive piece to date. SEE CATERS COPY.

Having previously transformed his models into frogs and parrots, this may be the 37 year old’s most intricate and impressive piece to date.

Johannes, from a small Alpine town between the Italian/ Austrian border, used water-based body painting colours for this piece. Painting a piece can take him anywhere from two to seven hours — but planning, preparing, designing backgrounds and making headpieces can sometimes require weeks.

PIC FROM JOHANNES STOTTER / CATERS - We all know chameleons are good at hiding, but this clever reptile - which is actually two painted women - might be the ultimate master of disguise. This incredible body art, by talented artist Johannes Sttter, shows a vibrantly coloured chameleon resting on a juicy green branch. The Italian artist created this piece, entitled The Chameleon, by transforming two naked models into an optical illusion inspired by the colour-shifting creature. Having previously transformed his models into frogs and parrots, this may be the 37 year olds most intricate and impressive piece to date. SEE CATERS COPY.

He said: “I worked about 4 days to design the motive bigger and paint it with colours. The body painting took me about 6 hours with the help of an assistant.

“I covered the hair with natural clay to make the heads look bald. There are different difficulties on different levels as in every work, but I think that my passion and love to my work is so big, that I figure out a way to deal with difficulties.

PIC FROM JOHANNES STOTTER / CATERS - We all know chameleons are good at hiding, but this clever reptile - which is actually two painted women - might be the ultimate master of disguise. This incredible body art, by talented artist Johannes Sttter, shows a vibrantly coloured chameleon resting on a juicy green branch. The Italian artist created this piece, entitled The Chameleon, by transforming two naked models into an optical illusion inspired by the colour-shifting creature. Having previously transformed his models into frogs and parrots, this may be the 37 year olds most intricate and impressive piece to date. SEE CATERS COPY.

“My main inspirations are nature, my personal life-philosophy, every-day-life and people themselves. One thing that is unique about this medium of art, compared to a traditional painting, is its short life span. A body painting often only exists for a few hours before being washed off, with only photographs as reminders.”

Johannes said: “I think that body painting is a good way to learn to let something go, to separate from something. That happens again and again in life and it is good to be able to handle with it. Also the fast end of the artwork makes us perceive it in a much more intensive way.”

PIC FROM JOHANNES STOTTER / CATERS - We all know chameleons are good at hiding, but this clever reptile - which is actually two painted women - might be the ultimate master of disguise. This incredible body art, by talented artist Johannes Sttter, shows a vibrantly coloured chameleon resting on a juicy green branch. The Italian artist created this piece, entitled The Chameleon, by transforming two naked models into an optical illusion inspired by the colour-shifting creature. Having previously transformed his models into frogs and parrots, this may be the 37 year olds most intricate and impressive piece to date. SEE CATERS COPY.