MRS. TROWBRIDGE'S "SELFIE" PAINTING

Mrs. Trowbridge spent many hours recording the flora and fauna of the rain forest. Occasionally, she would paint a "selfie", where she would include herself in the scene. This is one such painting. Her painting process was slow and laborious because she gave such great attention to detail. But she left a lasting legacy for us of what life was like in the Quinault Rain Forest 200 years ago.

She used various herbs and berries to make her paints. She found the deep blue hue of ripe huckleberries to be ideal for her drawing ink. On this page of her journal, she talks about early morning painting sessions. 

 http://trowbridgechronicles.blogspot.com/2008/04/daybreak-at-falls.html

Have you seen my other blog, Bron Smith's Flights of Fantasy: http://bronsmithart.blogspot.com/

MRS. FERNWOOD'S GARDEN

Mrs. Fernwood lives just down the lane from Mrs. Trowbridge. She grows wildflowers and herbs in her garden, then sells them to the market in Huckleberry Hollow. On her way into the village she often stops by Mrs. T's cottage to give her a bag of Cat's Claw, which helps ease grandma's arthritis. 

The flowers growing in Mrs. Fernwood's garden include Douglas spirea, Foxglove, and Olympic Rockmat. The Rockmat are the little white flowers growing in the window box to the right of the door. The Olympic Rockmat are endemic to the Olympic Mountains, found nowhere else on earth. I saw my first Rockmat clinging to life on the summit of Mount Townsend. 

I decided to include a detail (above) from Mrs. T's painting to show you her delicate and subtle brushwork. 

All of the flowers that you see in Mrs. Fernwood's garden can be found in the Olympic Rain Forest, except for many of the herbs that she grew, some of which were native to other areas. I found the Olympic Rockmat that you see below in full bloom on Lillian Ridge, near Obstruction Point.

Check out the Little Beasties at my other blog, Bron Smith's Flights of Fantasy.