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"Oh, Shenandoah is one of the most visually stunning and informative books of its kind that I've ever had the pleasure to own. The 264 plein-air masterworks of Andrei Kushnir form, of course, the centerpiece; he has captured our beloved Shenandoah Valley with a level of love and skill that few artists are capable of exhibiting. The book's accompanying essays by leading experts also provide Oh, Shenandoah with an educational component that helps make this handsomely appointed volume a must-own for anyone who loves art, history, or that great and wonderful area the Indians called 'The Daughter of the Stars.'" "In the late summer of 2008, Andrei Kushnir braved brush, thorny vines, tall grass and whirling insects in order to capture in a painting a particularly beautiful scene of the Shenandoah River. The Washington, D.C., artist set his easel up in a woodsy spot at Red Banks, where the North Fork of the river flows. The oil painting graces the front cover of his just-released book, Oh, Shenandoah: Paintings of the Historic Valley and River. The large volume contains 263 plein-air paintings that Kushnir created during a nearly decade-long project that took him the length and breadth of the world-famous valley. Little escaped his artistic attention. As one might expect, the book is replete with scenic views. But there also are paintings such as Evening in Brownsburg, which transforms a quiet, house-lined street into a masterful work of art." "Andrei Kushnir's landscape paintings of the Shenandoah Valley express an atmosphere and texture that can only be achieved by the artist standing in and subjecting himself to the scene that he paints. Through his use of color and superb brushwork, he is able to realistically create his experience of the Valley's many moods—from the warm, sultry days of summer to the cool, clear days of spring and fall. Kushnir's oil paintings take us on a wonderful and intimate journey through a truly magnificent place on Earth. Through careful observation of his work, it is easy to experience what he has experienced—to feel the wind and hear the birds and insects that reside just beneath the surface of his paintings." "Andrei Kushnir's plein-air paintings of the Shenandoah Valley's most iconic lands and built environments evoke the past and awaken a sense of history and memory. But look again. These shimmering paintings also witness very specific lived moments in real time. As Kushnir skillfully records fleeting daylight colors, seasons, and details of contemporary life, it is clear that he is painting a Shenandoah Valley we live in now—alive and vital, history ongoing. Paired with equally rich contextual essays, these paintings invite readers to share the artist's unique vision while beckoning us to get out of the car, too, perhaps with brush or camera in hand, and explore that landscape ourselves." "The essence of a place—its geography and history—resides in its landscapes. The Shenandoah Valley is an extraordinary theater of natural features and human constructions rich in imagery and interpreted for us anew in this wonderful book by Andrei Kushnir. His luminous and insightful plein-air paintings—all 264 of them!—capture moments in time and character in a manner that invites the reader to experience the Valley's extraordinary and ordinary places. The varied perspectives, along with astute essays and vignettes by leading experts, encourage us to see the Shenandoah Valley's essential character as never before." "History…mystery…mythology…the words wrap themselves sensuously around the single lyrical name 'Shenandoah.' The place that bears a name spirited from a long-forgotten tongue has shape shifted over time. In Oh, Shenandoah, the magnificent paintings of Andrei Kushnir, accompanied by the softly woven essays about settlement, geography, and natural history, create a tapestry of joy in the discovery of Shenandoah's many changing faces." "The Shenandoah Valley is one of America's great places, on par with the Grand Canyon and New York City. Its grandeur derives neither wholly from nature nor human achievement but rather from a sublime harmony between the two. Andrei Kushnir's plein-air paintings of the Valley radiate its natural beauty. Look closer, and you'll also see the light of the human spirit—cooperation, resourcefulness, and an abiding reverence for the land and its seasonal rhythms. In a word: hope." "I had the realization that Andrei's work is as good as all these 19th and 20th century paintings we revere," he explains, referring to works by Rockwell Kent, Edward Beyer and other artists. "The Shenandoah Valley is the epitome of the American melting pot and these paintings allow us to tell the history and geography of the region. It's unusual to be able to do that much teaching in an art show." Read a review in the Maine Antique Digest. (pdf) Read a review in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. (jpg)
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On September 20, 2020, the Shenandoah County Historical Society presented its annual awards "recognizing outstanding preservation projects in the fields of history, architecture, scenic beauty and material culture."
Photos are of Andrei and Jeff Everetts's father, Chuck, among other award winners.
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