Update August 9, 2013: George Rodrigue (pictured below) inspects the proof for his new hand-pulled stone lithograph based on Blue Dog Oak, printing now in Paris, France. For purchase details, contact Rodrigue Studio. For more on this process, see the post, “Looking for a Beach House,” describing another print made in this way. GeorgeContinue reading “Blue Dog Oak (Old Friends)”
Author Archives:
Yoga: One Essay Only
“Yoga relaxes me,” says George Rodrigue. “The minute Wendy starts her practice, I fall asleep.” Recently a friend asked me why I never blog about yoga. For fifteen years the practice infiltrates every part of my life, assisting me with decisions, anxiety, injuries, and relationships. I promise, George, that if I attend this silent retreat,Continue reading “Yoga: One Essay Only”
A Cajun in Carmel
Blue Dog artist George Rodrigue finds inspiration on the Monterey Peninsula- It was twenty-two years ago that artist George Rodrigue (b. 1944) opened his gallery in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. One of only two locations* in the country, the artist-owned Rodrigue Studio operates the same way today as it did years ago. Despite Rodrigue’s increasing fame, heContinue reading “A Cajun in Carmel”
I’m a Writer!
“All I see is that you’re writing with a pen. Yay!!!” Author Patty Friedmann cheered the hand-written word after seeing the photo below. It was December 2010, and I scribbled on the pages of a purse-size artsy notebook, purchased annually in multiples from the Morgan Library museum shop. George Rodrigue photographed me as I satContinue reading “I’m a Writer!”
Paintin’ Shrimp Boats and Pickin’ Crabs
“Shrimp boats is a-comin’; there’s dancin’ tonight!”* After many months indoors, George Rodrigue and I ease cautiously yet eagerly this fall into adventure. Here in south Louisiana, diversion awaits in exploring small towns, riding an airboat, or simply walking on the nearest levee. Our last adventure, some six months ago, took us past Lafayette toContinue reading “Paintin’ Shrimp Boats and Pickin’ Crabs”
Sunshine and Love: New Paintings
After six months away from his easel, George Rodrigue returns this fall to his instincts, painting throughout the quiet nights in solitude. The canvases, dominated by a Blue Dog and oftentimes a typical Rodrigue oak, are familiar, yet something is different in the feeling behind the images. To the point, something is different in hisContinue reading “Sunshine and Love: New Paintings”
Going Home Again….for Art
In 1952 in New Iberia, Louisiana, George Rodrigue (b. 1944) remained sick in bed for six months. I explained this week to a group of young students on the Florida Panhandle that he suffered from polio, a contagious disease affecting his ability to walk. He couldn’t attend school or play outside. Imagine poor little George withoutContinue reading “Going Home Again….for Art”
The Patchwork Gift
In 1978 George Rodrigue tackled a 5×7 foot canvas, piecing together a group of women at a church quilting party, a common Acadian gathering during the 1940s and 1950s. The ambitious project includes twenty figures, including a portrait of the painting’s new owner with her child, all gathered beneath Rodrigue’s typical Louisiana oaks. -click photoContinue reading “The Patchwork Gift”
Walker Percy, Sylvester Stallone and the Blue Dog
Update, 2/1/13- Due to the popularity of this exhibition, it is now extended through August 31, 2013. During his forty-five year career, George Rodrigue has painted more than one hundred portraits, everything from his family to U.S. Presidents. One series in particular, however, stands out as a select group of award-winning authors and scholars, paintedContinue reading “Walker Percy, Sylvester Stallone and the Blue Dog”
Blue Fall in Louisiana
“When they showed me my body, it was blue,” explained George Rodrigue to a friend this week. “Nothing dark, no patches, they were all gone.” I overheard him on the phone and my ears picked up, not because I hadn’t seen the scan, but because I hadn’t thought of his body as blue, and IContinue reading “Blue Fall in Louisiana”