Golden Driller 76 Feet Tall
by Janette Boyd
Title
Golden Driller 76 Feet Tall
Artist
Janette Boyd
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
Photo of The Golden Driller in Tulsa, Oklahoma near 15th and Yale.
***Sold 8.000" x 5.250" Total Size 9.75" x 7" Print on 04/08/17
Somerset VelvetFrame:CRQ13 - Black Wood (CRQ13)Finishing:1/8"
Featured in the following FAA Groups:
*Street Art
*Your Very Best Photography
*Exploration Photography
*Lady Photographer
*All Art Welcome
At one time, Tulsa, Oklahoma sat atop the world's largest-known ocean of oil. Drilling derricks were everywhere, even on the lawn of the state capitol. The city called itself "Oil Capital of the World."
But Tulsa did not build Tulsa's giant oil man. It was built by an oilfield supply company out of Texas, which set him up in 1953 for a trade show at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. Dubbed "The Golden Driller," the giant roustabout resembled an oversized brass statuette, with a broad grin, a tin helmet tipped back at a rakish skew, and a gloved right hand raised in a kind of limp-wristed OK sign. The statue proved so popular that the Texas company returned six years later with a second temporary giant.
A third giant, tallest of all at 76 feet, took up permanent residence at the Fairgrounds on April 8, 1966. This version still stands today. He's very different from the original Golden Driller, with a slender waist, muscles ripped on a bare chest, mustard-colored rather than gold, and a face that's a chiseled mask of Teutonic invincibility. He was designed by George S. "Grecco" Hondronastas (1893-1979), a Greek immigrant to Tulsa who viewed the Driller as his greatest artistic accomplishment.
- See more at: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2190#sthash.ol73IAO2.dpuf
Uploaded
June 30th, 2016
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