Venerdi in Venice: Roamin' Gondola
ink & watercolour illustration commission for Sisterhood of the Travelling Scarves
A few months ago, a lovely lady named Michelle saw my illo over at Pierre's Venice Daily Photo. Before you could order a Chianti, she'd told some of her Italy-besotted friends, and the charming Maxine commissioned me to create an illustration to represent the friendship and shared love of Italy within their group {known amongst themselves as the Sisterhood of the Travelling Scarves}. Maxine's brief to me was to draw three ladies with scarves and incorporate a gondola and the Pantheon. So you see, the gondolier was on the right track after all, though possibly shouldn't have deserted his post for the sake of a quick gelato nearby {something I'm tempted to do myself}.
Since then, I've met several of the Sisterhood through emails, including one hilarious lady who happens to live in North Queensland, not far {by a country folks' compass} from where my father was born. Get outta here! I thoroughly enjoyed the process, and what a delightful bunch they are! I'll bet none of them would mind steering the gondola around the fountain in the absence of their errant gondolier ~ not one little bit. And on that note...
Happy Venerdi in Venice {and Rome} to you!
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Scarves sounds like something from an Alexander McCall Smith novel. Bless their sweet and arty enterprise, and their illustrator!
ReplyDeleteOh would they let a southern girl join their sisterhood virtually? I have about 20 scarves to prove my worth. A DEEEELIGHTFUL illo Shsh and so cute I'm not pouting because it's not Francophile Friday. Everyday is FF pour moi! :)
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PS I'm going to count my scarves, I'm afraid I have more than 20. Does that make me a Parisian yet????
What a delight, and hats off to Maxine for the brilliant idea.
ReplyDelete(I see all the Alice's and will see this one, but don't know how anything can top the Jonathan Miller version.)
Ditto de above. You must now bee an honorary member of the Sistahood!
ReplyDeleteExcellent.
I love this story. here's to the Sisterhood.
ReplyDeleteOh, brilliant. Doesn't blogging take you on amazing adventures? If I could afford it, I'd commission an illo of the Sisterhood of International Bloggers.
ReplyDeleteMay your drawings continue to spread good cheer and bring people together.
What a great idea. (I like PCN's idea, too.) I may have to introduce you to the Sisterhood of the traveling hats.
ReplyDeleteMise ~ oh, it does!
ReplyDeleteVirginia ~ it's ok, I saw you pouting behind that scarf, but you do so delightfully. And 20 scarves must put you well on your way to becoming an honorary Parisian. :)
Hiker ~ I haven't seen the Jonathan Miller version but now I want to. What a cast!! I'll see Tim Burton's because the costumes and cinematography look utterly gorgeous, and in no way whatsoever because of Johnny Depp. Cough
Cafe ~ someone was kind enough to mention I had honorary status, but the lack of official dubbing ceremony makes me suspect the motion is still on the table. ;)
Margaret ~ I suspect they'll drink to that!
PCN ~ it never ceases to amaze me how things can come about in the blogging world. And that is a great idea!
Petrea ~ would you be one of the travelling hat-wearers???
What a wonderful idea these women had! And you've illustrated their friendship and love of italy with such charm and imagination (no surprise there)! They must be thrilled. Ladies—I too love Italy (Shell is my witness) and I just went and counted my scarves: 44! Would you have room for yet one more in your lovely sisterhood (at least virtually)?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm going, but not because of Johnny Depp, either (sneeze).
ReplyDeleteYou MUST MUST MUST rent the Johnathan Miller. It is absolutely Victorian and brilliant.
Yes. There are only two of us. We've been friends for 30 years. Whenever we get together (it's more rare now) and if we remember to do it, we seek out a hat store, try on the biggest hats we can find and beg someone to take our picture.
ReplyDeleteI love how this vast world twists and turns and brings people together like this. The internet helps. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou can't blame a guy for jumping off to get a gelato. He probably freaked out when he saw the Pantheon and decided it would be a good time to make a quick exit. These ladies with their awesome scarves sound truly lovely, as is your image of them. :D
I like to think of all of us as the Traveling Sisterhood.
ReplyDeleteThe story behind this illo is really lovely. Maybe we can arrange for someone to wave to us from the Eiffel Tower?
from cali -- well said! (BTW, think I may be going back to Paris in September—would love to wave to all of you from the ET! ET!! ET!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alexa ~ yes, I can happily vouch for you, and I'm guessing you'd be warmly embraced into the fold!! {44? I clearly am lacking in the scarves department...}
ReplyDeleteHiker ~ Bless you! {In many ways.}
Petrea ~ what a lovely story and tradition!!
Amy ~ I don't need much of an excuse to chase down a gelato ~ not in summer, at least.
Oh yes, Cali and Alexa ~ woohoo, wouldn't that be wonderful! {September, Alexa? Yay!}
Alexa: exciting news! Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteWell you certainly captured the theme well, Shell. I was going to comment about the scarf linking the ladies before I read the text. It all makes sense now, even the missing Gondolier.
ReplyDeleteHave a good week dear.
Wonderful drawing and great friendship story! And Alexa, I'll be in Paris most of September so maybe we'll have a chance to meet up there, since we missed each other by just miles in Italy a few years ago!
ReplyDeleteHey Katie: will you wave to us from the ET? :D
ReplyDeleteCali ~ having Alexa and Katie BOTH waving to us from the Eiffel Tower would be double the fun!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, MmeB ~ you too! x
Katie ~ I'd better get back to the drawing board ~ I haven't even scratched the scratch of your last album from Paris. :) I sure hope you and Alexa can meet up this time around.
Alexa,
ReplyDeleteI'm off to count. The race is on! And yes, we need a photo of you at the ET ET ET!
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