‘Domino‘ was originally created as a feature wallpaper design in the 1950s, and it is hand-painted on a very large scale in black ink on white cartridge paper. Our new canvas print uses a smaller scale which shows the overall effect of the pattern as seen at a distance.
The design was intended for the silk-screen printing process, and would have been economical to produce with only one colour (black) to be printed. In the 1950s, fabric and wallpaper designs were developed by hand, without the speed and convenience of computers. Geometric accuracy and perfectly neat painted edges had to be produced with painstaking care – a much slower process. Repeats for the patterns could not be added by computer after only one motif or arrangement was complete, and the design had to be painted as many times as necessary in order to show a buyer how the finished pattern would look.
Not as simple as it first appears, this fascinating vintage design is full of movement and optical effect. The white circles are fractionally larger than the black ones and appear to jump out, while the slightly smaller black circles seem to receed. Along the edges of the squares, rows of tiny hemispheres in an alternating black and white arrangement look as if they are twisting spirals.
The 100% cotton canvas is printed with Epson HD pigment inks, and stretched by hand over a sturdy pine wood frame. The black and white design wraps around all four sides of the stretcher. This design is also available as an A3 fine art print or poster, and a 5.5″ square greeting card. We use archival-quality pigment inks and 100% cotton rag papers for our fine art prints.
Strong and graphic, this monochrome design with its clean-cut, geometric chequerboard pattern makes a striking focal point for any interior!