Over the years countless people approached George Rodrigue with ideas for paintings. They didn’t understand that George was original. He was authentic. “They all think they’re the artist,” he would say, shaking his head over the umpteenth person to “have a great idea,” insisting that he paint the Blue Dog with St. Louis Cathedral orContinue reading “I am Not the Artist.”
Category Archives: business
Absolut Blue Dog
It’s twenty-five years since George Rodrigue last drank alcohol,* and yet he was part of one of the most successful stories in advertising history, promoting a vodka. “Even when I did drink,” laughs the artist, “it was always bourbon or wine. I never liked vodka.” (pictured, Absolut Rodrigue, 1993, one of three paintings created byContinue reading “Absolut Blue Dog”
A New Rodrigue Book
“To your book!” …toasted George Rodrigue and son André as we perused the first copies of the finished hardcover, The Other Side of the Painting. “I nearly forgot about it…” …I replied, moved by their acknowledgment, as I returned that day from a long journey after visiting an ill friend back east. The book (still hardContinue reading “A New Rodrigue Book”
Galerie Blue Dog, Carmel
In 1991 George Rodrigue opened Galerie Blue Dog in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The one-square-mile village includes cottages, restaurants, shops and galleries, all descending westward towards the beach and Pacific Ocean. “I visited Carmel often while a student at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles during the 1960s,” recalls Rodrigue. “As long as IContinue reading “Galerie Blue Dog, Carmel”
Rocky Mountain Blues
Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, George Rodrigue, like many New Orleans artists, sought temporary venues for his work. Even after the Rodrigue Gallery reopened in January 2006, it was several years before tourists returned strong to the city. Local artists depend on this exposure to sell their art. In addition, although George and I experiencedContinue reading “Rocky Mountain Blues”
Blue Dog, The Book
“To find her you must lose her. The Blue Dog knows the way.” –Blue Dog, 1994 In March of 1992 journalist Bridget O’Brian interviewed George Rodrigue for an article, front page, center column, in The Wall Street Journal. Although George had no control over the content, O’Brian allowed him one special request. Without hesitating, heContinue reading “Blue Dog, The Book”
Cajuns, The Book
By the mid-1970s George Rodrigue painted on average forty canvases per year, all scenes of Cajun folk-life stemming from his first painting with people, Aioli Dinner (1971), while incorporating the distinctive oak trees from his landscapes. Although he rented a gallery in Lafayette, Louisiana, he sold most of his work on the road in Houston, Dallas,Continue reading “Cajuns, The Book”
Starry Starry Eyes: A Runaway Hit
In 1991 George Rodrigue’s printed artwork bolted forward with new color and precision as he applied the latest in ink and technology to his silkscreens. This was a substantial advancement over his earlier Cajun posters and Blue Dog silkscreens. For the first time he created complex original print designs using intense hues. Prior to theContinue reading “Starry Starry Eyes: A Runaway Hit”
Blue Dog on the Defensive
Twenty-two years ago I moved from New Orleans to Carmel-by-the-Sea, an easy decision even for a gal with little knowledge of California beyond The Grapes of Wrath (hardly a ringing endorsement). In the tiny artist’s village I grew, over time, a little less naïve, facing the controversy naturally attached to an art gallery full ofContinue reading “Blue Dog on the Defensive”
Blue Dog and Intellectual Property (Guest Blog Entry)
Guest blog entry by Jacques Rodrigue, George Rodrigue’s son. He currently serves as House Counsel for Rodrigue Studio and Executive Director of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. He is a graduate of Tulane Law School in New Orleans. Greetings everyone! Jacques Rodrigue here. Wendy is taking a much-deserved break this week from bloggingContinue reading “Blue Dog and Intellectual Property (Guest Blog Entry)”
Farewell to Exhibitions; Welcome to Painting
George Rodrigue and I spent much of the past eighteen months on the road visiting museums and communities for exhibitions, lectures, and education events coordinated by the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA) and the New Orleans Museum of Art, which organized the tour as part of its 100th birthday celebration. Locations included BatonContinue reading “Farewell to Exhibitions; Welcome to Painting”
The Working Artist
Note: Throughout this post I sprinkled images by Louisiana artists. Some I interviewed and some not, but all are included in the book The Bicentennial History of Art in Louisiana.* As I wrote, I thought of the text and images as two separate statements, not necessarily related. In other words, unless specifically noted, all artistContinue reading “The Working Artist”
Popular Art: Famous Paintings by George Rodrigue
During our recent tours in north Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle, the question arose several times regarding George Rodrigue’s most popular paintings. “My favorite painting,” he’s quick to reply, “is always the one I’m working on now.” (pictured, George Rodrigue at his easel in Carmel Valley, California, 10/6/11) But for the rest of us, humanContinue reading “Popular Art: Famous Paintings by George Rodrigue”
A Number One Tiger Fan
From his earliest commission, a valuable lesson at age fifteen when the funeral home director Mr. Burgess refused to pay the agreed-upon fifty-dollar price for his portrait, George Rodrigue tossed around the pros and cons of outside projects. Everyone has an idea, most well meaning but ill advised. Human nature requests the obvious, and GeorgeContinue reading “A Number One Tiger Fan”
Museums and Critics, an Early History
“I’m a survivor.” George Rodrigue, 2011 In 1969 the Art Center of Southwest Louisiana held George Rodrigue’s first solo museum exhibition. Located in Lafayette at the University of Southwest Louisiana, the museum, also known as the Pink Palace, existed within a Mississippi River-style plantation, surrounded by huge columns and designed by architect A. Hays Town.Continue reading “Museums and Critics, an Early History”
Counting on Art (and Painting by Numbers)
George Rodrigue first picked up a paintbrush in 1953 when his mother brought him the latest American craze, paint by number sets, to ease his boredom as he lie sick in bed with polio. By the early Fifties the masses saw paint by number as affordable, do-it-yourself art. But even as a young boy, GeorgeContinue reading “Counting on Art (and Painting by Numbers)”
The Family Portrait
Although George Rodrigue admitted to himself only recently that he is an effective portrait artist, he has painted both real and imaginary figures for forty years, accepting commissions for family portraits since the early 1970s. For the family portrait he feels pressured to please everyone from Great Aunt Marie to Baby Hebert with regards toContinue reading “The Family Portrait”
The Collectible Book
George Rodrigue and I spent the past few days in Las Vegas, Nevada. We trekked to and through the City Center, wanting to see the much-touted series of structures firsthand. Although the architecture is over the top and the occasional art piece of interest, ironically it was a bookstore that occupied our afternoon. We talkContinue reading “The Collectible Book”
The Ragin’ Cajun (The Art of the Trade)
Granted I’m biased, however I’ve witnessed over the years that most people, men and women, find George Rodrigue downright charming. It’s something about that Cajun accent combined with the Snagglepuss laugh and his down-to-earth demeanor that reels in both friends and strangers alike. This is a handy character trait regarding his business. For years GeorgeContinue reading “The Ragin’ Cajun (The Art of the Trade)”
Spotlight on Sandra
Two years after opening The Rodrigue Gallery of New Orleans, George Rodrigue followed in 1991 with Galerie Blue Dog in Carmel, California.* That first summer, as he installed his paintings and established himself in the tiny seaside community, a southern gal walked in smiling and reminded him, “Don’t you remember me? We met years agoContinue reading “Spotlight on Sandra”
Blue Dog Relief
As I’ve mentioned before, it was many months before George Rodrigue returned to his easel following Hurricane Katrina, and when he did, the paintings were dark and fragmented, far different from the bright colors and strong designs normally associated with the Blue Dog Series. Not only was he without a studio space to work, butContinue reading “Blue Dog Relief”
We Will Rise Again
Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, like everyone on the Gulf Coast, our lives were in turmoil. In addition to the logistics of basic needs such as shelter, phone service and, most important, tracking down friends and loved ones, there was a business and a staff, several of whom lost everything they owned, to consider. AlthoughContinue reading “We Will Rise Again”
A Flurry of Activity
…a sneak-peek at new projects The woodpeckers are crazy today, flying into the windows, boring holes into the house, and twirling together as though spring, and not a cold and foggy Carmel summer, is in the air. As I watch twenty or so, doing everything at once, barely pausing for rest in the oak treeContinue reading “A Flurry of Activity”
There is No Bacon in Space (Having Fun Discussing Art)
For several years I hosted an art discussion group in the Rodrigue Gallery of New Orleans. Composed of gallery staff and the occasional friend or family member, we spent a few hours once each month covering everything from the latest show at MOMA to the current buzz on Julia Street. We related at least oneContinue reading “There is No Bacon in Space (Having Fun Discussing Art)”
The Painting in the Closet
It’s a common misconception that George Rodrigue intends all of his art for sale, or at least for public display. If he manufactured tennis shoes, this might make sense, and indeed because George makes a living with his art, it is true that most works do end up with a price tag. However, this commercialismContinue reading “The Painting in the Closet”
Louisiana Roots (The Louis Prima of the Art World)
George Rodrigue is unique in the art world. I can think of very few contemporary visual artists of his renown that define themselves by their culture. From the time he first returned to Louisiana from Los Angeles and art school in the late 1960s, he called himself a Cajun artist. Even today he describes everyContinue reading “Louisiana Roots (The Louis Prima of the Art World)”
The Collector
During the summer of 2005, George Rodrigue and I joined his collectors Chris and Don Sanders in Europe for the Venice Biennale and Art Basel. Although we attended in the past, this was our first visit with the ‘in-crowd,’ and our group consisted of major gallery owners and big time art collectors, certainly well beyondContinue reading “The Collector”
A Gallery of His Own (A Woolf Inspires a Wolfe)
“Be truthful one would say, and the result is bound to be amazingly interesting.”* From day one, from his return to Louisiana from art school in Los Angeles in the late 1960s, George Rodrigue wanted one thing: to make a living as an artist. However, he never imagined that selling his art would be up to him.Continue reading “A Gallery of His Own (A Woolf Inspires a Wolfe)”
Catholic High, Brother Edward, and the Art Scholarship
George Rodrigue, known as ‘Big Rod’ to his teenage peers, graduated from Catholic High School in New Iberia, Louisiana in 1962, along with thirty-two classmates. They have an annual reunion in someone’s backyard (BYObeer), women not permitted. This is a group of guys that remembers a time when “if you could drive, you could drink,”Continue reading “Catholic High, Brother Edward, and the Art Scholarship”
The Client
Unlike most artists at his level, George Rodrigue operates (since 1998) without an agent. There’s no middleman and no discounted arrangements to galleries, decorators, or corporate art buyers. In an extension of his early days of selling on the road from the trunk of his car, he sells from his own galleries, his own business,Continue reading “The Client”
Lectures, Painting Demos, and Events
As much as I enjoy touring with George and speaking alongside him about his work, it’s often a real kick without him. I remember my first solo school visit. Although I’d spoken with many children in the galleries over the years, it wasn’t until after George and I were married in 1997 that folks acknowledgedContinue reading “Lectures, Painting Demos, and Events”
The Art Business, A Few Thoughts
Written in response to questions about the art business from artists and their partners, especially Joey, who wrote in this week- When I think back twenty years on the early days of working in the galleries in New Orleans and Carmel, California, I remember the frustration of wanting to do things a certain way butContinue reading “The Art Business, A Few Thoughts”