Spring has well and truly sprung, so it's time for our Solstice ~ Spring edition of Colour Notes. Read on to discover an array of paint colours to pair with this wonderfully verdant wallpaper...

Artist Zoe Gibson's design for Solstice ~ Spring is inspired by a project she exhibited at Generator Projects in Dundee, where she lino-printed 100m of wallpaper by hand. Zoe used the technique her Auntie taught her, which she had been taught by Zoe's grandmother, the late, great Peggy Angus.

The design - available in two colourways as a textural surface-printed wallpaper - speaks to this idea of handing down artistic technique and talent through generations, represented in the cycles of the moon and sun, captured here in repeating, mirrored marks. We are reminded that everything is cyclical - the changing of seasons, the technique of printmaking itself, and the lessons learnt by one artist or family member that are passed on to another. The way in which women in particular have historically taken on the responsibility of nurturing and teaching the new generation, to keep the familial bond alive. It's a tale as old as time, much like the coming and going of the Solstice itself.

Impressionist artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was concerned with this very topic, as much of her work focuses on the intimate relationship between mother and child. Cassatt was unique for her time, as she refused to settle for the notion placed on women that art was a social skill rather than a profession. Cassatt left her home in America for Paris, where she studied under private tutors, and befriended Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, and other Impressionist masters. She experimented with pastels and un-posed, asymmetrical compositions, and was heavily influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Cassatt began to develop her own printmaking technique, using aquatint, soft-ground etching and dry-point, paying homage to the Japanese minimalist influence, while still retaining the three-dimensional viewpoint more common in Western art. Her piece Gathering Fruit is a prime example of this style.

'Gathering Fruit' by Mary Cassatt, 1893, aquatint and dry-point etching

According to Moma, 'Cassatt had been asked to develop a decorative program on the subject of "modern woman" for the Exposition, an international fair held in Chicago in 1893. Once installed, her vast mural astonished viewers with its allegorical depiction of larger-than-life girls and women jointly pursuing scientific, artistic, and cultural achievements. When asked why she had excluded male figures from her vision of contemporary womanhood, Cassatt replied, "Men, I have no doubt, are painted in all their vigor on the walls of the other buildings."'

Gathering Fruit depicts a woman on a ladder offering a baby fresh fruit, symbolic of the transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next. It's a simple scenario delicately portrayed, with a sense of abundance, the ripe fruits reflecting a woman's fertility and the wild occupation of childrearing, and an emphasis on the recurrent pattern of trees bearing fruit and the arrival of a new generation of children. The colours used - indicative of Cassatt's Impressionism - are natural, earthy and vibrant, combining the vivid greenery with the neutral pinks of the mother's dress and baby's skin. In many ways, this is a quintessential, quotidian scene of women performing their roles and duties - but if we take into consideration Cassatt's intentions behind her body of work, we can begin to appreciate this quiet celebration of womanhood and mothering, a tough job which is so often taken for granted.

So, on to the paint colours which work beautifully alongside Solistice ~ Spring, and also in conversation with Cassatt's colour palette.

THE GREENS

We often find ourselves writing about and utilising green and for good reason: it's truly one of the most popular shades for interior design, coming in a huge variety of hues. Green feels like a simple solution to bringing a sense of brightness, energy and nature into a room - it's a well-liked, unchallenging colour, but is also not so forgettable or subtle that it doesn't make an impression. And especially today, when many of us spend too long sitting indoors, dreaming of being outside, green decoration in the home can serve as a reminder that a bucolic escape is never too far away. Even in London, which is considered to be the world's biggest urban forest, with 8.4 million trees across the city. Just look out your window for proof!

To match Solstice ~ Spring, we chose a sumptuous green from Paper & Paint Library, Apple Smiles II (if you think of a smiling apple, this is definitely the colour you'd land on). Next, there's Edward Bulmer's Invisible Green, which they say is 'hardly invisible, but we have taken the 19th-century idea of painting ironwork in the landscape to 'vanish' it and mixed a beautiful grass green'. Finally, there's the paler, more subtle Whispering Grass from Fenwick & Tilbrook.

THE PINKS & NEUTRALS

Something we really love about Zoe's design for Solstice ~ Spring is the colour of the ground, working in tandem with the rich green of the print. It's a slightly pinky/peachy shade, which we feel creates a more interesting impression than a stark white might, and offers a different opportunity when it comes to paintwork. A room decorated with this wallpaper and then painted with any of the following pinky, neutral colours would look incredible, as the focus would still be on the design but a real sense of cohesion and consideration would be brought to the space.

We went for a couple of trusty Farrow & Ball colours - Dimity (a pleasing taupe, named after a lightweight cotton fabric) and Setting Plaster (designed to mimic that beautiful earthy pink of a freshly plastered wall). Setting Plaster in particular is so lovely, our Founder Kate used it in her living room! Last but not least, we selected one from the brilliant Francesca's Paints, Priddy Moon, which is gentle and light.

Thanks for reading. Get in touch with us for sample requests and pricing at the Studio: info@commonnroom.co

Our Solstice wallpapers are printed traditionally so both colourways are held in stock. Find Zoe's whole collection for CommonRoom, here. 

words by Alice Hodgson