This week's theme, elevating insults to an art form, is most interesting and useful. The percentage of fustilugs here in the South is growing at an exponential rate.
A word that I have used in the spirit of this week's theme in 'meretricious'. Instead of referring to someone's tastlessness in dress, home furnishings and general demeanor as tacky and tasteless, it is much nicer to note that they are extremely meretricious. Sounds good, and aptly describes them.
Origin Early 17th century: From Latin meretricius-(adjective from meretrix, meretric - 'prostitute' from mereri (be hired) + ous; also defined simply as tasteless, tacky

Welcome, Parola; the South of where, if you don't mind?

In legal usage, "meretricious" refers to sexual relationships. It might make for an interesting conversation if you were to relate to a lawyer friend that, say, a certain neighbor's kitchen was meretricious ...

I live in Gulfport, Mississippi . . . am a Native Texan from Aransas Pass, have lived literally around the world (see www.larryray.com if interested) and moved to the MS Gulf Coast in 1980 after finally getting off the air as a broadcast journalist on WWL-TV in New Orleans.

Larry Ray? Oh yeah, you're a Southerner (U.S.) all right!
broadcast journalist Interesting--my daughter has just changed her major to Communications, and my niece's fiancé has just started his right-after-college first job as a DeeJay here in Kentucky.

welcome, Larry!
the Sottosuolo pictures (and others) are fascinating. welcome to the board.

Ah, meretricious! How nice to find a word that describes things I often encounter. (Tasteless things, not prostitutes.)

Alex, you had my eyebrows raised there for a minute.

Ooohhh -- I like the gourds. I saw somebody else working on them recently, and was intrigued. How did you get started on this art form?

Glad you like the gourd artistry. I discovered fine art gourd artistry about three years ago. I was aware of the craft level with cute birdhouses, gourds painted like santas at flea markets, etc. and I always assumed that was it. After discovering the more serious level of gourd artistry, and seeing the work of some incredible artists, my former art and design training and the challenge of a 3D surface came together and I am having a great time. I do a lot of stone inlay . . . all designs are done with pyrography (there's a great word) using woodburning tools with fine tips and temperature control. Colors are leather dyes . .tough to work with but beautiful. Just finished a two month one man show at the Ohr O'Keefe Museum of Art . . . new work coming out all the time. Check the web site from time to time. Thanks for your interest