The Shenandoah Valley's Interstates

Since 2001, Andrei Kushnir has rendered the world-renowned Shenandoah Valley through his stunning plein-air paintings—paintings created outside and on site. As a complement to Oh, Shenandoah, his classic 2016 book of paintings of the Valley, this new volume by Kushnir presents work unlike any other: paintings of landscapes and places seen from the interstate, in this case the three interstates running through the Shenandoah Valley—I-66, I-64, and especially I-81. This remarkable new book features eighty-six paintings that reveal why I-81, particularly in the Shenandoah Valley, has long been considered one of America’s most scenic interstates.

The Shenandoah Valley’s Interstates is introduced by noted historian Warren Hofstra, who deftly explains how the Valley became so famous and why I-81 is but the newest version of the historic “Valley Road,” from its origin as an Indian path to the Valley Pike and then US 11. Kushnir’s book will not only appeal to residents and travelers alike but will also serve as a clarion call to other artists to render their home landscapes and interstates with their own creative work.