I am not writing this from a ship on the Alaskan Inside Passage, nor from the fishing village of Ketchikan, nor perched on a glacier’s blue ice, nor anywhere near a family vacation three years in the planning. Of course, in this week’s unexpected theme of ‘looking on the bright side,’ I’m not writing fromContinue reading “Going With the Flow (the Family Flow, that is…)”
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Blue Dog: Mixed Media
In many ways George Rodrigue is a big kid. Although he’s serious in both the application and concept of his art, he’s never denied that painting is fun. In fact, he’s famous for saying, “If it’s not fun for me, then I don’t do it.” He strives more for himself than for his audience toContinue reading “Blue Dog: Mixed Media”
Painting with Uncle George
Originally I planned to spend this post talking about George Rodrigue’s childhood in New Iberia, the fact that he was an only child, along with his lack of art influences, as well as our devotion to arts education. But I’ve covered his childhood already in previous posts, as well as the George Rodrigue Foundation ofContinue reading “Painting with Uncle George”
Boudreaux in a Barrel
As any Louisiana joke teller knows, the two lead characters of most Cajun stories are Boudreaux and Marie. They might venture out fishing with a roll of duct tape or accidentally hit a skunk with their truck. Maybe Marie catches old man Boudreaux’s attention with her pot of gumbo, or perhaps Boudreaux waits until theirContinue reading “Boudreaux in a Barrel”
Label Art: Paintings for Wine and Beer
For many years George Rodrigue dreamed of painting the label for the famous Bordeaux wine, Chateau Mouton Rothschild. For a man who hasn’t had a drink in twenty years, this obsession might seem strange, unless one understands the tradition behind the label. Since 1945’s “V” for “Victory” designed by Philippe Julian (above, author of TheContinue reading “Label Art: Paintings for Wine and Beer”
The Cypress Tree
—With thanks to our friend Neil, who found this painting (and recognized it). Before Blue Dogs, Cajun folk life, and portraits, George Rodrigue painted hundreds of landscapes, a subject so important to his oeuvre that he continues to paint them today. (For a detailed history of Rodrigue’s landscape paintings with both early and recent images,Continue reading “The Cypress Tree”
Alligator Crossing
It’s ironic. In south Louisiana, where alligators actually do cross the road (or the levee or the yard or the bayou), there’s no warning. However, in Carmel Valley, California, where the possibility is, okay, impossible, you’re warned just in case. I guess this makes sense if you consider the context. A Cajun lives in thisContinue reading “Alligator Crossing”
Lost Within Rothko and Rodrigue
We all feel helpless at times, unable to fight our will, acting in ways we know we shouldn’t. My compulsion is particularly unfortunate, because it puts pressure on my husband to appease a request, one I’ve hounded him about for years: “Paint me a Rothko.” How insulting is that? Very. I ask George Rodrigue, anContinue reading “Lost Within Rothko and Rodrigue”
America the Beautiful (Crossing New Mexico and Arizona)
“All men were made by the Great Spirit Chief. They are all brothers.” Chief Joseph It was in a college class called ‘Religion and Social Issues’ that I first read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970, Dee Brown), a book that sunk my sheltered self into a depression I had not known since readingContinue reading “America the Beautiful (Crossing New Mexico and Arizona)”