SHREWS, MICE AND MOLES: THE PAINTING

Recently, I posted Mrs. Trowbridge's sketch of Shrews, Mice and Moles. Above is the exquisitely soft watercolor that she painted from her sketch. Sometimes I liken Mrs.T to a busy little robot. Though she was constantly occupied with her family and community responsibilities, she always returned to her journal, where she scribed and painted her lovely pictures. She was faithful to her painting throughout her life. Mrs. T lived with her family on Wild Rose Creek, in the rain forest village of Huckleberry Hollow.

WIND RIDERS

Mrs. Trowbridge occasionally wrote journal pages regarding the history behind the Trowbridge shrews that lived in the rain forest. She called these her "primer pages". Wars and protests would drive shrews from distant lands to flee their homes and take to the air in search of a better life across the Great Sea. These ancient shrews were called "Wind Riders". In the above page from her journal, Mrs. T talks about the wind journeys made by her ancestors in their tiny air basket huts.

Have you seen my other blog? It's called Bron Smith's Flights of Fantasy. 

SHREWS, MICE AND MOLES

There was an underlying suspicion that was ever present in the small creatures community. There was a subconscious surveillance between the various species. The bottom line was that no one wanted to be eaten for lunch. That's why beetles kept their distance from shrews. They knew that they could be ambushed on the way into the village, never to be seen again.

But moles, mice and shrews all got along with one another because of their common mammalian ancestry. In the above page from Mrs. Trowbridge's journal, she describes the kinship between these three species, and illustrates her journal page with her marvelous charcoal sketches.

Have you seen my other blog? Bron Smith's Flights of Fantasy

LADYBUG COLONIES

Some of Mrs. Trowbridge's journal entries were charcoal drawings. This week's episode is an example of her fine charcoal draughtsmanship. She describes the ladybug mushroom colonies that were a common site in the rain forest. The beautifully-worn paper that she used for her journal adds to the flavor of her exquisite charcoal drawings. 

Have you seen my other blog, Bron Smith's Flights of Fantasy? 

MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD DAYS

Mrs. Trowbridge had sweet memories of her childhood in the rain forest. This page from her diary depicts a scene from her youth when she helped her father, working the sow-bug herds on their sow-bug farm. She painted this scene from memory.

Sow-bugs are a common part of the shrew diet which consists of insects, slugs, spiders, worms, and amphibians. Sow-bugs were easy to find in the rain forest under decaying logs, so they were a staple of the shrew diet. The enterprising shrew would go on sow-bug "hunts" to collect them, then build a sow-bug herd. The sow-bugs were then sold to local markets.

Have you seen my other blog, Bron Smith's Flights of Fantasy?