The text and paintings on The Trowbridge Chronicles are taken from the illustrated journal of Violet Trowbridge, a shrew that once lived in a village deep in the Olympic Rain Forest. Each new post will represent a portion of Mrs. Trowbridge’s journal.

Friday, June 28, 2013

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


Saturday, June 15, 2013

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




Tuesday, June 04, 2013

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?