Birthday Bios: Ash Tree · 3:44pm Jul 30th, 2016
His adult design makes me think of a mix of one of my cousins and an uncle we share.
Traditional art is a messy job. Despite Ash Tree’s moodiness suggesting that he’d be into darker stuff, I can guarantee that he’s the one who’s responsible for the paint splatters that decorate the room he and his brother Bananas share… and Bananas is the goofy party pony that would absolutely love that design.
Admit it, Ashy Boy, you’ve got a soft center.
Ash Tree was born in the Neighton of the Salt Lick Valley to March Redwood and Honeysuckle. As a baby that was quiet and kind of grumpy, he was a witness to older siblings Flora Peace and Bananas fighting over getting to play with him. He usually wanted to mind his own business and use some of the crayons lying around to scribble on the walls.
His interest in arts and crafts came about early on, with him always getting into the hoofpaints and smearing them on whatever he thought would make a good canvas. He’s gotten into a fair bit of trouble as a toddler for painting the furniture, and he’s taken a lot of baths to wash off the paint in his coat. His baby sister, Olive, wasn’t safe, and had to be bathed too. His mother usually tried to keep him limited to watercolor, but he manages to track down the acrylic every time. He can catch the distinct smell of it.
One day at the park, as he and his older siblings were being babysat by their grandmother while baby Olive was having a checkup at the doctor, a train derailed from a nearby railroad. While Ash Tree, Flora, and Grandma escaped unharmed, Bananas got injured. He doesn’t remember it as well as the others, being about three or four at the time, but he does get nightmares about the incident from time to time. He’s drawn on the cast on one of Bananas’ legs in order to comfort both his brother and himself.
He was around seven when his mother made the house into an inn, and when his parents had fought over it. Sensing the tension between them, instead of opting to try to be a peacemaker like his big siblings, he just shut himself away from the conflict. With art keeping him company, he was keeping himself content and distracting himself from the straining relationship of his parents. He didn’t know the why and how of their making up, but he was a bit surprised when a sigh of relief came from his mouth.
When he was about eleven, his parents noticed that he continued to shut himself in his room. They came to him with the suggestion of entering a Frontier Festival art contest, as they had pretty good guess on what his special talent was. Though interacting with other ponies and being outside weren’t his favorite things, he agreed to it.
He painted a depiction of a pioneer trek to fit with the holiday, though it was sometimes tampered with by his younger siblings: the reckless Olive bumping into it, a curious Alfalfa just touching it, and the playful Amber Waves trying to help him. It was frustrating, and he demanded to be alone while he worked.
He managed to get it done and enter the piece in time. While he didn’t win, he still received recognition for it, which prompted his cutie mark to appear. What followed was the biggest smile he had ever done, which Bananas took the opportunity of snapping a photo of. The older brother likes to rub it in his face.
He’s since helped around town with a bunch of painting projects for the neighbors. Though he keeps to himself most of the time, he’ll respond to any conversation with his own input. He doesn’t like to talk unless he has something to say: otherwise, he’d rather be focused on making art or painting whatever project comes to mind.
He’s responsible for decorations that pop up on the Flowerwood Inn on holidays, which is usually his excuse for going outside. He’s helped Olive make her cart for Neighton’s soapbox derby (where she earned her cutie mark), Alfalfa carve jack o’ lanterns for Nightmare Night, illustrated any story Amber comes up with, and builds and paints princess-themed items for youngest sister Willow. He’s given Flora art lessons and uses Bananas as a model to test various poses (as Bananas is the only one who could hold an impossible pose for a long time), and even made an animated flipbook for him. He hasn’t done much for Kernel, but he’s willing to do so if asked.
He’s also entered other things in art contests, whether it be pictures of dragons, caricatures of his family, or a scene from whatever history book he’s reading. Though he claims not to like other ponies very much, he does get a sense of pride whenever his art is admired.
In his teens, he’s taken to selling some art or his painting services in order to earn some extra money. While some of it has been used to send Flora to college, he’s saving up to go to an Art Academy near the West Coast to improve on his art. He’s even interested in the developing art of animation, thinking that it would be neat to work on the first full-length animated movie in Equestria, even if he’s just a background artist.
It wouldn’t be until he was twenty that he got his wish to go to the Academy, after saving up vigilantly for several years. He’d be butting heads with rival artists for some time, though he’d befriend a mare by the name of Toola Roola, who at first glances seems to be his opposite (being cheerful and friendly in contrast to his moody and distant personality), but bonding over a mutual love of art and appreciation for nature’s beauty (though not fond of the down and dirty stuff), and talking about their respective families. Much like Flora and her Manehattan friends, these two would be stuck like glue and be friends for years to come.
Whether he’d be painting scenes or characters, monsters or weather, or even just painting a house or room, he’s content to be the go-to guy for some nice art. Even if his standoffish and sarcastic nature can be a bit scary, he doesn’t bite. Just don’t mess up his art—his father’s temper runs in the family.
Ah, the artistic temperament. The throes of creation, the anxiety as the public judges whether your work is worthy of acclaim... It's stressful, but Ash seems to enjoy it, especially that first part.
HE HAS MY BIRTHDAY?! Wow.