Author Archives:

George Rodrigue’s first painting with people is his Aioli Dinner of 1971. The scene is an all-male gourmet dinner club that met monthly from 1890-1920 on the lawn of large homes in and around Rodrigue’s hometown of New Iberia, Louisiana. The women, standing in the back row, cooked; the young men, standing along the sides,Continue reading “Eat, Drink and Forget the Blues
(Aioli Dinner Dog)”

Nov 13, 2023: Join Wendy Rodrigue for the fascinating story behind George Rodrigue’s classic 1974 painting, Doc Moses, Cajun Traiteur, filmed at the Zigler Museum in Jennings, Louisiana.   These video narratives, filmed by Douglas Magnus, spotlight George Rodrigue artworks as a free program of the Life & Legacy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established byContinue reading “Doc Moses, Cajun Traiteur
1974 by George Rodrigue”

Nov 6, 2023: George Rodrigue (1944-2013) held a lifelong obsession with trains.  In his last years, he and Wendy drove their truck to the top of Pike’s Peak in Colorado to ride again the cog train he recalled from a childhood vacation.  They rode the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train two years in aContinue reading “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie, a Painting for Himself”

Nov 5, 2023: Amongst his first paintings after moving in 2001 from Louisiana to California, Rodrigue’s Tree at Sunrise evokes strong personal symbolism through its subject matter, color, and scale. This surreal diptych reflects the dawn of a new day, and for Rodrigue, in his wife Wendy and the California sunshine, the dawn of aContinue reading “Tree at Sunrise
An Imposing Diptych by George Rodrigue”

A look at one precious piece of Curator Dana Holland-Beickert’s thoughtful installation within George Rodrigue: The River is the Road, on view through October 29, 2023 at the West Baton Rouge Museum. This exceptional exhibition of original artworks by George Rodrigue travels in 2024-5 to the Carnegie Visual Arts Center in Decatur, Alabama; the MasurContinue reading “Curating Rodrigue”

George Rodrigue’s historical masterpiece, “Indians, Cajuns and Cowboys,” pays tribute to three specific yet distinct aspects of American culture. He anchors his composition with the oak tree, the limbs spreading like an eagle’s wings to include the various landscapes and peoples of the American West. Beneath the tree, the river stretches the width of theContinue reading “An epic American painting:
“Indians, Cajuns and Cowboys”
(1988) by George Rodrigue”

Oct 6, 2023: Begun in 1995 and completed in 2013, Tee Teddie first hung in Cafe Tee George, Rodrigue’s Lafayette, Louisiana restaurant that burned in 1997.  It was the only painting to escape the flames without major damage, while interpretations of Elvis, the Blue Dog, and Cajun folklife remain lost forever. I painted Tee TeddieContinue reading “Tee Teddie by George Rodrigue”

Oct 4, 2023: The story behind George Rodrigue’s powerful last self-portrait, titled RODRIGUE, and the companion portrait of his wife, Wendy. 2013, printed on Dibond aluminum. George Rodrigue: Painting for Myself continues through January 2, 2024 at the Museum of New Art in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This exceptional collection of 50 Rodrigue artworks, including paintings,Continue reading “The Last Portraits”

Sep 30, 2023: In 2007, inspired by exhibitions of his work at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee, and the New Orleans Museum of Art, George Rodrigue reinterpreted his original Jolie Blonde of 1974, transforming her into a contemporary and colorful presentation intended for exhibition in museums. Sponsored by Avery Insurance and organizedContinue reading “Jolie Blonde by George Rodrigue”