"Back Road" California Redwoods Santa Cruz County original Oil Painting Oil painting of the California Redwoods by Gorman Woody (American, 1907-2000). the scene is a country road in the Santa Cruz Mountains, old redwood pickets line the road's edge and the tall Redwoods stand guard in the summer sun. Oil on Masonite. Signed "Woody '75" lower right. Titled "Back Road" on verso Board size: 24"H x 30"W Frame 36.5"H x 30.5"W x 1.5"D Gorman Woody was born in Kansas in 1907, and shortly after moved with his family to Colorado. Woody resided in Colorado until he moved to Santa Cruz, California where he remained for most of the remainder of his life. He graduated from Santa Cruz High School in 1925. Afterwards he was a performer at the famous "Plunge" on the Santa Cruz boardwalk. For a period of time he worked for Otar the Lampmaker in Santa Cruz creating drawings, designs, and metal work. He studied painting at an early age, as some of his works date to the early 1930's. From the 1920's through the 1940's he concentrated on his photographic work. He photographed a series of aerial shots of Santa Cruz, and the surrounding area, as well as worked as a portrait photographer. Woody is well known for his landscape and plein air paintings.