Behind the Painting, “The Art of Perfect Strawberries”:

I grew up on the banks of the John Day River and the Deschutes River. Sherman County is a high, dry desert where wheat and cattle are prominent. This is tough country, with an average of ten inches of rain each year. We would take our horses down the banks of the John Day and Deschutes and pull cattle out of the draws. It was a mile down and a mile back up through steep, rugged country. While this was a truly glorious, beautiful area, we never rafted or played on this land – we worked. The roughness and the desert beauty will remain forever imprinted on my mind. The Willamette Valley is seemingly a world away from such a landscape. “The Art of Perfect Strawberries” is really a combination of both places, the roughness of my past and the more refined patterns of farming today. At Stahlbush, our strawberries are grown in ideal conditions. We use perfect NORTHWEST VARIETIES that grow exceptionally well in Oregon. Our strawberries are RED throughout, with the highest natural sugars and flavors. Perfectly red centers are characteristic of vine-ripened strawberries. We pick our berries when they are RIPE! We rely on Mother Nature to perfect them. Once she’s done, we freeze them immediately after harvest, sealing in the farm fresh taste of just-picked fruit. – Karla S. Chambers, Artist & Co-owner of Stahlbush Island Farms