Gossip Spreads

This is one of the first artworks that Wonder made when he moved to San Francisco, though he acknowledges that the color palette was strongly influenced by his time in New York City. The colors, dark purples and blues, evoke a sense of hardness and coldness, though still beautiful. In the same way, gossip can take on many forms, mean, beautiful, and the like.

The two birds are facing each other, their beaks sharp and their eyes dead set on each other. They don't have ears, but their wings are shaped similar to hands and their feathers like fingers. This was intentional to represent the Deaf community and how they communicate. The ASL sign for "gossip" is uses the index finger and thumb in a pinching motion. The hand shape is very similar to the beaks of the two birds.

The two birds are gossiping to each other and are connected to other beaks that are gossiping as well. Representing how gossip starts and then spreads. The wire hands with the fingers spread out represents how gossip spreads outwards and beyond the boundaries of the frame. The glitter that is sprinkled throughout the painting represents how gossip can sometimes be childish or immature.

Guy Wonder

He/Him/His

Gossip Spreads

c. 1989

Mixed media

Two blue birds are in the center with their yellow beaks so close that they are almost touching. There are numerous wire hands and beaks surrounding them. There is a square border around the artwork which features another five hand-like shapes.