Celebration of Life Held for Folk Artist Barbara Strawser in Schaefferstown, PA

by Jane Stahl

There are three. Three life-sized Bear Fever bears on the streets of Boyertown, Gilbertsville, and Bally that showcase the artistic gifts of folk artist Barbara Strawser whose Celebration of Life was held at St. Paul's UCC Church recently in Schaefferstown, PA.  Barbara left us April 23, 2024.

Barbara was remembered for her love of her neighbors, the care she gave them--especially through her cooking and the gifts she offered of her art and the flowers and vegetables from her bountiful gardens. Friends and family members shared amusing anecdotes; her granddaughter's cello solo, vocal rendition of "Amazing Grace," and a parting gift for all who attended of a hand-sewn purse with a seed packet lifted the hearts of attendees.

Barbara will long be remembered in the Boyertown area though her participation in Boyertown's Bear Fever public art project that celebrates its 20-year anniversary in 2025, in a painting she created of a "kitchen garden" on the corner of 4th and Chestnut Street during a Studio B-sponsored plein air event, an "Opera House" window she painted, her solo art exhibit, and receptions for friends held at Studio B.

My memories will live in the tabletop Bear Fever bear she painted for my family and for her willingness to prepare a "pig's stomach" dinner for my PA German husband in her kitchen. 

The project's very first bear to be installed was Barbara's "Herbie," mounted at the former office of Greg Herb Real Estate, E. Philadelphia Avenue, Gilbertsville. Herbie is filled with bright yellow black-eyed Susans and the spring green hues of spring and early summer.

Her second bear "Bar-ber-a" features the bounty of autumn, her favorite season: orange pumpkins, purple grapes, sunflowers, and wispy grasses and has been found most recently guarding Bertoia Studio in Bally, PA.

Her third bear, located at Glocker Real Estate on Philadelphia Avenue, Boyertown,PA, named "Homebody," features ice skaters and a winter theme and colors on one side. The opposite side celebrates home and family. 

Barbara Strawser loved her home, her vegetable and flower gardens, farms, chickens, apple trees, and tulips. Cooking, reading, and decorating furniture are among her favorite things. But painting, she claimed, is all she ever wanted to do--even as a child.

Her paintings can be found in collections and galleries around the world. She lived most recently in historic Schaefferstown, PA, in a Victorian-era house surrounded by the lush and prolific vegetable and flower gardens and trees that she loved and painted.

In an interview I had with her before a 2013 exhibit of her work at Studio B Art Gallery, she explained, “In my younger years, I would go for walks to find a quiet spot to sit and paint, usually a sunny hillside somewhere. Now, I just wander in my own backyard and paint what I see. Exploring my world in preparation to paint is a refreshing mini vacation for me. ”

Barbara’s gift of creating folk art is “in the genes.” She was a self-taught, third generation Pennsylvania German folk artist. Her work and that of her family is often described as “primitive,” “native,” or “tramp art” and depicts everyday living as experienced her surroundings--rural Lancaster, Lebanon, and Berks Counties, Pennsylvania.

She recalled Sunday drives as a child in her father’s green Studebaker when she could barely see over the windows of the car. From that vantage point, she saw tall grasses and the rich burnt sienna color of the earth that today remains a favorite color in her palette.

Barbara’s great-aunt Hattie Klapp Brunner (1889-1982), referred to as the Pennsylvania German Grandma Moses, inspired Barbara’s own work. About her great-aunt's work, she recalled, “Her work was very colorful, and I thought her paintings were the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.” 

While we said farewell to Barbara, her presence will continue to be felt in the Boyertown area and wherever art is celebrated. 

More News from Boyertown

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