More on Bisset Park near The Blue Ridge Parkway and How The New River used to be...

My Artwork

Bisset Park Original    Original Pastel Painting not Available for Sale

Prints on Paper or Canvas available at      KENDALL KESSLER ART

I especially like the many New River scenes I have done.  My favorite ones were done from different parts of Bisset Park in Radford, VA.  When the weather is nice there are a lot of motor boats, canoes, and rafts gliding along the river.

Bisset Park Original is not available, because as luck would have it, it drowned in a gallery in North Carolina years ago.   There was a tremendous amount of rain that year and the gallery flooded.  The water rose over a foot and this pastel drawing was low enough for the lower half to be immersed in water!   

The gallery was insured and I was compensated for the painting but it no longer exists.

Afterwards, I decided to do an oil painting of the same spot.  I wanted to get a very different look reflecting a different time of day and season.  One of my favorite artists, Claude Monet, often did the same scene at different times of days and seasons and each one is a unique, beautiful creation.  

I love the way colors change throughout the day as the light shifts.

Bisset Park    30" x 40" Original Oil Painting        $2425.00

Prints Available on Paper or Canvas available at    KENDALL KESSLER ART

New River History

I love history and thought it would be nice to put in a little information on how different the river was years ago.

The river used to have many batteaux carrying cargo downstream as far as Bateau Mountain before the coming of the railroad.  Bateau Mountain ,which is near Grandview, is now called Batoff.

The batteaux were propelled along the shallow rivers by crews pushing long poles along the side of the boats and steering with long sweeping rudders at each end.

The boats carried lumber, agricultural produce, and mercantile products.

A lot of the workers were African-American crews and captains.  Because of the unique skills and abilities the job required, batteau crews could find an equality in their work that was not easily available for African Americans seeking employment in American society at the time.  For most of the workers it was a vagabond life on the river.

I found this information on batteaux in the online publication New River Gorge

Life with The Bird and Word Man - Clyde Kessler

Again, be sure to join Clyde and Nancy Kent this Saturday in Wildwood Park for a great nature walk.  Photographer Nancy Kent will teach young and old on how to get good photographs of flowers in insects!

The Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally is coming up.  The Rally is Friday May 9    5:00 - 9:30pm at The Konnarock Community Center!  Check out the Blue Ridge Discovery Center for more information!