This California Oaks triptych was done with copper and pewter and is around 95" tall. Artist Joe Mross: "I listened to so many Woody Guthrie tunes during the design of this art piece that I'm instantly reminded of him and those times when folks migrated from the dust bowl to California in search of a better life."
Woody Guthrie (Jul. 14, 1912 – Oct. 3, 1967) remains one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the American folk music tradition. With his unique guitar strumming and a wealth of original compositions, Guthrie helped shape the future where folk music is concerned. His 1940 album Dust Bowl Ballads, based on his experiences during the 1930s, which earned him the nickname the "Dust Bowl Troubadour". In 1940 he wrote his most famous song, "This Land Is Your Land" with vivid references to the natural elements in the landscape:
This land is your land and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
Saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me
I roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
All around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me
When the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice was chanting as the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me
This land is your land and this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me
When the sun come shining, then I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The voice come a-chanting and the fog was lifting
This land was made for you and me