“Pears”
Artwork by Cheryll Root, Troy, Idaho
(In memory of Lucille Root, Prosser, Washington)

Artist Cheryll Root first saw Good Fruit Grower on the coffee table of her mother-in-law’s home in Prosser, Washington. Cheryll, who lives in Troy, Idaho, and is part of an art group known as the Palouse Watercolor Socius, was struck by the cover and wanted to submit some work of her own.

She’s not alone, of course. We enjoy sharing wonderful work from artists and photographers with our readers, and we know our readers enjoy seeing what stunning image will be featured on the cover of each issue.

We chose Cheryll’s artwork — “Pears” — for September’s pear-themed issue. After we had made our selection but before the issue was published, Cheryll’s mother-in-law, Lucille Root, passed away. Cheryll asked that her artwork be listed in memory of Lucille.

“I had hoped to honor Lucille because she was an inspirational person,” Cheryll wrote to me in an email. “She was 94 at the time of her death, but into her 90’s she was full of life and mentally and physically fit. … She was always looking out for others. She and her husband, Warren, built the condominium complex where she lived. It looks out on a vineyard and is bordered by apple and cherry orchards. I’m guessing that may be what sparked her interest in Good Fruit Grower.”

We feel fortunate to be able to share the work of Cheryll and other artists and photographers. And it’s that time of year when we’re getting ready to make our selections for next year’s covers. We’d like to invite accomplished photographers and artists to submit their work. If you know of someone, let them know. We plan to make our selections for 2017’s covers near the end of October. You can find more details and submission guidelines on our website at goodfruit.com/upload-your-cover.