inspiration for oval "eh"

yes, we're going to chat about my oval sunburst table, a piece of controversy in my home.... and a wee bit of one in my post comments, too.

starburst, sunburst... either way i love it.

though, it's clear that i'm not the first to re-interpret this ancient symbol and receive mixed reviews.

the gaga hairburst.

a utensil burst from flamingtoes.com

then there are those that play it safe.... not that there's anything wrong with that.

tobi fairley:  lovely... but does anyone else feel, umm, watched?

abc home

west elm

phillips collection:  

overstock.com

athens, ohio quilt barn tour

yeah, sunbursty and sweet but a shade predictable.  i mean, didn't those amish-y people read my post about pantone's color of the year?

sheesh.

now, ya'll (3 years in dallas, remember?) are not the boss of me, in case you wondered, so i know i do not have to explain my inspirations nor rationalize the bubbling rapids of my rising river of ideas. however, since you took the time to comment, i'll take the time to share some background on my interpretation of this ancient symbol.  

inspiration

it began when i spied this fanciful garage door on pinterest but---grrrrr!---could not trace the source.  bummer.  but i did note the bold color balanced by the neutrals.

mmm.  feels kinda good, doesn't it?  okay, not in your neighborhood, perhaps, but still... it's happy!

after a quick repin, the image bounced around my brain for a bit until it banged into the image of the oval table top that was awaiting a "knock-it-outta-the-park" finish.  BAM!  next came my handy-dandy-notebook and a few exploratory sketches.

okay, two sketches.   but, still,  i told you that i was committed to the creative process so i have earned full credit for sketching at all.  oh, and bonus points for breaking out the crayons.

next, i ran across this shi-shi surf board.  see how it's... different?  

this is symmetrical--which my design is not--but how about those contrasting colors?  no gentle ombre goin' on here but isn't that triangle within a triangle rather delish?  maybe next time.

'nuf about the "process".

i dove decidedly into the fiery sunburst...

head first...

eyes squeezed shut....

tightly enough that a 10 year old snuck in some painting.

SPLAT!  not a soft landing.

ewww.  yes, bad indoor shot but, ewwww, creamy yellow has no place hanging with those cool-toned buddies.  what was i thinking?  do you see how horrid this could have been?   don't i deserve credit... or ice cream... for recognizing and changing the palette?

admitting there is a problem is the first step.

repainting is the second step.  wait, no.  that's third... after bad words.  or fourth... after quitting for the night and stomping up the stairs to search google for a real job that results in more than a sporadic spit of money.

but that didn't pan out, so back to the tabletop.

see ya, cream.... hello, green!  this compromising grassy color kindly covered the brazen cream but, still, it bullied its way through the weak spots.

pain in the @#*.

so, that's my side of this sunburst story.  despite the gently disapproving comments ('sup with those "anonymous" followers???  show yourselves!  i don't bite...often.), i'm not hating this piece...

                                                                            B  U  T


i'm not loving it.  in fact, one commenter suggested painting the entire piece white so that the shape wouldn't be shushed by the colors.

she tells me this now.

humphf.  it's taken me a week--an entire week--to wrap up this post so i'm happy to hit "publish" and skeedaddle on to the next painting project... which is a doozie so i can't wait to hear your take on it.

really, i mean that.  honesty is one of my favorite things about blog comments.  'specially from those scaredy cat "anonymous" peeps!  (tee-hee-hee!)

UPDATE & THANKS..... and personal stuff:

thanks, also, for your kind inquiries about my dad.  after some serious breath-holding, my brother and parents are heading to duke university tomorrow to start beating the beejeezus outta this #*&%ing tumor.  

until a few weeks ago, i forgotten the requirements of "crisis-mode".  it's an actual full-time job!  no-pay, of course.  the work day is never-ending yet time is quickly gobbled up by researching treatments and side effects and extended stay hotels and writing group email updates and distracting the patient and talking on the phone about it and taking long walks in the fresh spring air and renting movies to lose yourself in and making comfort food and reading aloud to your kids instead of zoning out on the laptop.... and have i mentioned worrying?  actual thinking and focus are not at all a part of this position.  in fact, as soon as one dons the crisis uniform, one appears to lose any ability to think or concentrate.... or write a blog post.

or remember which driveway is yours.