Introduction by the artist (03/21/04)

Introduction by the artist

by Andrei Kushnir

Valley View Farm, today, owes its existence to one man's love for the land. That man is Charles E. Strother. I first met Charles when he drove up on his little tractor, while I was painting alongside his property, and invited me to paint on the grounds of the farm.

During the next two years, as I painted the farm, its animals, and its structures from every vantage point, Charles was everywhere: sheering sheep, mending fences, pruning the peach trees, feeding the cattle. His wife, Kathy, tended to the lovely cutting garden and a thousand other more mundane tasks needed to keep the enterprise going. But it was clear that his vision of a simpler pastoral existence was kept alive only with the most determined effort. They are courageous souls, in so many ways, and their vision and faith has kept alive a place steeped in authentic American character.

Artists are seldom pictured as sweating, fatigued, sportsmen in nature, hiking hilly terrain, scuffling up and down steep, unmarked paths, precariously balancing canvas and supplies and leaping over hidden ravines, but, as a plein air painter, that is my reality. I am driven to find the place in nature that speaks to me of more than just scenic splendor, the spot that can be a metaphor for human experience.

While creating these paintings of Valley View Farm, in rain, cold and heat, I have ignored curious cows, palette-snatching rams and heinous collections of insects. As Charles and Kathy Strother toiled relentlessly to coax from nature her bounty, and to return from the fields with their harvest, my paintings of their historic farm are, ultimately, my veneration of a way of life and my homage to this timeless, idyllic setting.

Our visit to the farm begins in the middle of winter. Virginia winters are generally mild, and the snow is melting under the hazy sunlight. Soon, the fields will spring to life, the peach orchard and polonia trees will bloom and traversing the landscape in search of new views will be a constant adventure. The paintings are arranged by season, and, to some extent, by time of day. I hope you enjoy your pictorial visit to Valley View Farm, as I treasure every minute spent in creating these paintings.

- From the catalogue "Andrei Kushnir: Painted History"

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