At the heart of this painting is a very simple, everyday image: my sisters having a natter on the sofa. But like everything in Telling Tales, once you start following the thread, the "idle chatter" unravels into something much more complex.
The word "gossip" actually comes from the Old English God-sibb, meaning a "god-parent" or a close female friend present at a birth. It was originally a benevolent word for a strong female bond. It wasn't until the 16th century that "gossip" was weaponized, turned into a tool of control to break women's solidarity. During witch trials and through satirical plays, women talking to one another was reframed as something idle, disruptive, or even dangerous. By mocking women for choosing their "gossips" over their husbands, the state and church turned a sacred social tool into a joke.
I'm interested in how we've inherited this dismissal. When men see women whispering, they often misread it through a "male gaze," seeing it as something "uncanny" or conspiratorial simply because they are excluded from the circle. In this painting, wanted to reclaim that energy. It's a celebration of "female grooming", not the kind done for a camera, but the evolutionary kind: the way we use shared stories and small talk to maintain the fabric of our communities. It's about the intimacy of the sofa, where "telling tales" is actually a subversive act of sharing truth, power, and instinct.
Print details:
Color Vibrancy: Our 12-color fine art printing technology delivers vivid, accurate colors with stunning depth, far beyond standard 4-color inkjet printing technology.
Paper Finishing: Smooth matte finish for a clean, glare-free display.
Paper Weight: 200 gsm (80 lb), thickness: 0.26 mm (10.3 mils).
Available Sizes: Offered in a variety of sizes to fit any space or frame.
Eco-Friendly Materials: Printed on environmentally conscious, FSC-certified paper.
At the heart of this painting is a very simple, everyday image: my sisters having a natter on the sofa. But like everything in Telling Tales, once you start following the thread, the "idle chatter" unravels into something much more complex.
The word "gossip" actually comes from the Old English God-sibb, meaning a "god-parent" or a close female friend present at a birth. It was originally a benevolent word for a strong female bond. It wasn't until the 16th century that "gossip" was weaponized, turned into a tool of control to break women's solidarity. During witch trials and through satirical plays, women talking to one another was reframed as something idle, disruptive, or even dangerous. By mocking women for choosing their "gossips" over their husbands, the state and church turned a sacred social tool into a joke.
I'm interested in how we've inherited this dismissal. When men see women whispering, they often misread it through a "male gaze," seeing it as something "uncanny" or conspiratorial simply because they are excluded from the circle. In this painting, wanted to reclaim that energy. It's a celebration of "female grooming", not the kind done for a camera, but the evolutionary kind: the way we use shared stories and small talk to maintain the fabric of our communities. It's about the intimacy of the sofa, where "telling tales" is actually a subversive act of sharing truth, power, and instinct.
Print details:
Color Vibrancy: Our 12-color fine art printing technology delivers vivid, accurate colors with stunning depth, far beyond standard 4-color inkjet printing technology.
Paper Finishing: Smooth matte finish for a clean, glare-free display.
Paper Weight: 200 gsm (80 lb), thickness: 0.26 mm (10.3 mils).
Available Sizes: Offered in a variety of sizes to fit any space or frame.
Eco-Friendly Materials: Printed on environmentally conscious, FSC-certified paper.
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