Lopi LaRoe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woody’s Machine
Oil on Board
2006
6” X 3 ½ “

 

 

Woody Guthrie (1912- 1967) was born Woodrow Wilson Guthrie in Okemah, OK. His father was a land speculator whose fortunes fluctuated with the oil booms. Guthrie's family experienced a series of hardships that tied Woody's sympathies with the poor and downtrodden. His family lost several homes and fortunes to fires; his older sister Clara died in a fire, and his father was severely injured and put out of work by another one. Woody's mother suffered a number of breakdowns before the family was forced to send her to a asylum where she would spend the rest of her life. Woody always claimed that his family was responsible for all the traits that he for which he became legendary. His father was fighter, who never stopped working, dreaming, or fighting despite all his setbacks, and his mother taught him the songs that he would sing, adapt, or borrow.

If only we could kill Fascists with his machine......