Friday, August 27, 2010

Venerdi in Venice: Princess and the Wisteria-Pea


ink & watercolour weensy meep miniature, 3.5" x 2.5" [9 x 6.5cm] ACQUIRE
As we venture into the weekend, let's put an eensy weensy twist on an old fairytale, The Princess and the Pea.  This Princess is Venetian {just run with it} and the pea is a flowering member of the pea family, commonly known as wisteria.  Rather than being poked somewhat rudely under the Princess's mound of mattresses, thus causing an irksome night's lack-of-sleep and wan circles under her eyes, our wisteria-pea is allowed to frolic and clamber playfully outside her window.  Being a wisteria-pea of the fragrant kind, each night, its soporific purple perfume wafts gently into our Princess's bedroom, tickling her nostrils briefly before allowing her to enjoy hours of deep slumber that chamomile tea can only dream of achieving.  {Inpiration for today's Meep Miniature illustration is thanks to the talented Alain Hamon of Destination Venise, via dear Pierre of Venice Daily Photo.  Grazie mille to you both!}   As we enjoy the hospitality of our well-rested Princess this weekend, here's to sweet dreams for all of us.  And on that note...

Happy Venerdi in Venice to you!
Posted by at 2:11 PM

24 comments:

  1. More than happy to run with this ...gorgeous illo gorgeous imagery! :)

    A lovely weekend and sweet dreams to you too Shell!
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  2. Oh, this one is me, Shell. This is ME. I sleep like that petulant princess and I need some wisteria by my window.

    How do you manage to turn out these treasures every week?
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  3. So exquisitely painted! - I'm sure that Alain would be impressed! - and I would definitely sleep like a princess under the sweet perfume of that gorgeous wisteria
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  4. Thank you, Favourite Vintage Finds ~ you, too, my sweet!

    Petrea ~ sounds like a job for Altadena Hiker. {As for the illos, the day always feels better when I draw...}

    All things French ~ thank you, Princess. :)
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  5. I always sleep like a drunken princess in Venice—knocked out, no doubt, by all that beauty. Once again, Shell, you've worked your meep-ly magic with a marvelous mini and a tale to set us all dreaming.
    Mille grazie!
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  6. YOU are our little princess Shell dear and we love every single illo. Today, I can even smell that sweet wisteria. It's not in bloom here now but it will be in the spring.
    Bon weekend,
    V
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  7. As Virginia said, lovely reminder of spring now that everything is dry and brown. (And I swear, when I finally get this house painted, I'm using your palette, just need to decide which one.)
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  8. Shell, mon amie, this is lovely and I can smell the wisteria from here! Where I live the wisteria can take over tall trees which make it especially beautiful in the spring. You capture Venice so beautifully -- meep!

    Passe un bon weekend!
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  9. Had not idea wisteria was part of the pea family. Lovely colors in this watercolor.
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  10. Is it just me or does that lamppost look like Lumiere from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST? He also looks like he's sleeping, perhaps recovering from his "Be Our Guest" number.

    I went to Alain's site and saw a picture of a porn star. I thought, "That can't be what inspired Shell's illo."

    Happy weekend!
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  11. Thanks, Alexa! I'm glad your slumber is drunk on beauty rather than prosecco. {Not that a glass or two would go astray...}

    Virginia ~ {blush} Merci! I'm so happy it's nearly spring here...

    Hiker ~ just so you know, I'm looking forward to seeing it when completed.

    Merci, Genie ~ your local wisteria sounds every bit as gorgeous as the Venetian kind.

    Margaret ~ it was news to me, also. Who'd have thought!

    PopCultureNerd ~ it certainly wasn't! What timing. Please, avert your gaze to this one instead.
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  12. Oh, wait—perhaps it WAS the prosecco (in addition to the beauty, of course)!
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  13. What princess wouldn't want to live inside this beautifully-drawn Venice dreamscape?! I love the thought of chamomile tea being put out because the wisteria is a better soporific for our princess.
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  14. Alexa ~ heh heh!

    Katie ~ perhaps I'll brew some tonight so it's not too forlorn...
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  15. Lovely aesthetic "meditation" on wisteria and rich and restful slumbers of a princess. I've always loved wisteria. :)
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  16. Thank you, Ms M ~ somehow, your love of wisteria comes as no surprise to me.
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  17. I didnt know that about wisteria...but I do know that I very much like wisteria :)
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  18. Now there's a princess with backbone and no need to conform. I imagine she'll be marketing her own wisteria parfum (Wist, for the Modern Femme) for next season's collections.
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  19. Got to love the colors of Venice! Not sure which I prefer: the purple wisteria (almost wrote hysteria!), the aqua (almost wrote agua!) shutters or the pink lampposts. Superb job, Shell!
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  20. Indie.Tea ~ I hope you have some blooming near you sometime soon.

    Mise ~ I'd buy it. It's quite nice to be Wistful now and then.

    Thanks, Cali ~ you should see the way the light shimmers off those colours. It's magic.
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  21. What a heavenly version of this story.....Happy Sunday Shell...xv
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  22. Thank you, Vicki ~ I'm glad you enjoyed it. Here's to a beautiful week...
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  23. So that's what I need to plant outside my bedroom window so that I can sleep more soundly... I like the way you tell and draw this tale. :)
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Merci, grazie, thank you for joining our conversation lounge. Your smile lights up the room. Even more beautifully than our crystal chandelier. x

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