Sometimes a painting comes together with just a vague idea of what it’s about. This painting was primarily a compositional challenge setting the major characters in front of the table top rather than sitting on top of it. The white cloth becomes a sort of theatre set backdrop and allows the objects to sit along a high ledge behind rather than the painting forming an obvious triangle.

While all these compositional challenges were unveiling themselves the combination of a cheetah, a tortoise, a white rabbit and wise owl came with their own symbolisms and stories. The most obvious of which is Aesop’s tale of the hare and tortoise. Though not strictly adhering to the imagery the connection is still there. The wild speed versus the the slow and steady and the “cheater” versus wisdom. The white rabbit always adds a bit of magic and the pink phone with its dial that reads, “In case of emergency dial Ext 170” suggests a touch of underlying menace like all good fairytales.

So what to call this collection of characters that we all know so well. I had no idea but while I was watching TV one night I saw the credits come up before the movie with the production company’s name Showtime ... and thought, that works. Let the race begin.