It was 78 years ago, on March 13, 1944, that my late husband, George Rodrigue, was born to Marie and George, Sr. in New Iberia, Louisiana. After more than twenty years of marriage, they had given up on having children. Yet along came George, who brought magic to their lives, and later, to my life,Continue reading “Rodrigue on Tour! Film Clips from Florida & Alabama Schools”
Category Archives: Cajuns
Miss July Fourth at Fifty
“Paintings take on a life of their own, long after the artist is gone.” George Rodrigue, from my journal. As a young Cajun man of twenty-seven living in Lafayette, Louisiana, George Rodrigue (1944-2013) chose to express his culture’s pride in their adopted American homeland in a most unusual way. His painting of Independence Day illustratesContinue reading “Miss July Fourth at Fifty”
I’ve Moved! Please Join Me!
Dear Rodrigue Friends and Fans, It was 10 years ago that I started, with George’s encouragement, “Musings of an Artist’s Wife.” Today, it’s time for a change. The more than 300 essays highlighting George Rodrigue’s history, artwork, and our life together will remain posted here as a permanent reference. All new posts, however, are inContinue reading “I’ve Moved! Please Join Me!”
Sharing George: A Video
The Life & Legacy Tour began because I felt compelled to help others experience George Rodrigue in a more personal way. After eight months, the tour is in demand more than ever, with no end in sight! And perhaps that’s exactly as it should be. Want to know what it’s like? Here’s a video from Dr.Continue reading “Sharing George: A Video”
The Begneaud Collection
Since losing George in 2013, we (myself, his sons, and our staff), have made educating the public about his life and work a priority. In the galleries, we’ve focused on exhibitions that span his 45-year career, including the current installations, Rodrigue: Blue Dog for President in New Orleans and Rodrigue in Carmel: Galerie Blue DogContinue reading “The Begneaud Collection”
George Rodrigue: “Fun for Me”
As Rodrigue Studio celebrates its 25th year in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, I’ve reluctantly stared memories hard in the face, piecing together, without George, a history that’s all about George. As is the case throughout his life, a central aspect of the story exists within his artwork. “It’s got to be fun for me, or I don’tContinue reading “George Rodrigue: “Fun for Me””
Saints on the Bayou
“As I grow older, my mind expands. I suspend reality on my canvas with greater confidence, exploring not just the trees and grass, but also the mysterious and the mystical.”-George Rodrigue, 2012 (Saints on the Bayou, 2009 by George Rodrigue, now available as a fine art print; click the photo to enlarge this beautiful lateContinue reading “Saints on the Bayou”
The Petro Brothers
“Ya’ here to look or to buy?…” …barked Bud Petro from the porch of George Rodrigue’s Jefferson Street gallery.From a rocking chair, he watched the Esso station he owned with his brother Norman, while monitoring and, according to George, “scaring away” potential Rodrigue collectors. “I couldn’t tell him to leave,” laughed George.“He was part ofContinue reading “The Petro Brothers”
Cora’s Restaurant and CODOFIL
In 1968 attorney and former Louisiana State Senator and U.S. Representative Jimmy Domengeaux* (1907-1988) of Lafayette founded the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, known as CODOFIL. Impressed with the initiative, Louisiana Governor John McKeithen pushed through a bill that granted the organization the necessary state credentials. (pictured: In 1912 Louisiana Governor HallContinue reading “Cora’s Restaurant and CODOFIL”
An Exhibition from the Other Side
This month, the State Library of Louisiana premieres an exhibition based on a new Rodrigue book, The Other Side of the Painting, on view through February 2014. Unable to attend the November 2ndopening in Baton Rouge, George Rodrigue and I relied on curator Marney Robinson, who astonished us with her ability to fully utilize aContinue reading “An Exhibition from the Other Side”
Rodrigue Honored Tonight
On October 26, 2013, George Rodrigue receives in New Orleans the prestigious Opus Award from the Ogden Museum of Southern Art during their annual gala, O What a Night!. Unable to attend the event, we asked Jacques Rodrigue, his fiancé Mallory Page Chastant, and André Rodrigue to accept the award on George’s behalf, and toContinue reading “Rodrigue Honored Tonight”
Spinning Wisdom
‘Round about, round about, Lo and behold! Reel away, reel away, Straw into gold!’* All my life, I’ve been drawn to women older and wiser. I like to imagine my grandmothers, although long gone, as young girls, and I stare hard into the faces of friends, some now in their 80s, sure thatContinue reading “Spinning Wisdom”
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”
Gus Weill and George Rodrigue (a couple of local boys)
Why do you do what you do? Ah sir if we only knew. But the winds call And the waves toss And we follow And are lost. Ah sir if we only knew.* -Gus Weill, 1981 (pictured, A Couple of Local Boys, 1981, oil on canvas by George Rodrigue, 48×36 inches; collection theContinue reading “Gus Weill and George Rodrigue (a couple of local boys)”
Rodeo Drive
Artist George Rodrigue and I attended a rodeo in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada last weekend. The area, called Glenbrook, reminded me at first of developments like Seaside and WaterColor near my hometown of Fort Walton Beach. Although I’m fond of these ice cream colored Florida Panhandle houses, my initial comparison was a stretch, now thatContinue reading “Rodeo Drive”
Rodrigue Collaborates
When it comes to painting, George Rodrigue is a loner. In recent months, he embraces full time the isolated setting of his Carmel Valley studio. The limited interruptions and lack of social commitments on this quiet California hill settle the artist into a near-obsessed dedication to his canvas and ideas. Ironically, however, it’s Louisiana thatContinue reading “Rodrigue Collaborates”
Footnote (He Stopped Loving Her Today)
In George Rodrigue’s latest painting, He Stopped Loving Her Today, Jolie Blonde’s hat sits alongside an above-ground tomb, the same type of vault his father installed in New Iberia, Louisiana as part of the family business. “I wanted to paint a tribute to George Jones (1931-2013),” explains Rodrigue. “I’ve loved this song for thirty years,Continue reading “Footnote (He Stopped Loving Her Today)”
The Breaux Bridge Band
Painted in 1971, The Breaux Bridge Band is a classic among George Rodrigue’s paintings. Along with similar works from this period, it defines his style as a pictorial champion of the Cajun culture, recording snapshots of time within turn-of-the-century Southwest Louisiana. Ironically, however, it is only on the artist’s canvas, and not in reality, thatContinue reading “The Breaux Bridge Band”
Blue Dog at the Movies
Since childhood, George Rodrigue has loved the movies. It’s the reason, along with Saints and LSU football, that his studio doubles as a theatre, and why most nights he paints to the backdrop of Turner Classic Movies. He returns to his favorites, The Searchers and Lonesome Dove, repeatedly. And he spent his teenage years paintingContinue reading “Blue Dog at the Movies”
Dance with Me, George!
“What do you do here?” ….asked George Jones of George Rodrigue at a Lafayette, Louisiana Mercedes dealership, as Jones shopped a new car and Rodrigue awaited repairs on his 1978 diesel station wagon. “I’m an artist,” he replied. “Oh yeah?” said Jones. “What do you sing?” Rodrigue recalls the countryContinue reading “Dance with Me, George!”
The Lost Painting (Festivals Acadiens)
In this computer age, Rodrigue Studio retains detailed records of art purchases, occasionally borrowing paintings from collectors for public exhibition. However, prior to the late 1990s, records were partial, hand-kept and often lost. People move, and paintings sell or pass to descendants. Some works exchange hands through private sale, and unless the art appears atContinue reading “The Lost Painting (Festivals Acadiens)”
Rodrigue’s Cajun Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is not just about New Orleans. Cities like Mobile, AL, Galveston, TX and my hometown of Fort Walton Beach, FL also celebrate. In Louisiana, dozens of small towns host Mardi Gras parades and celebrations every year. Long before his Mardi Gras posters, George Rodrigue painted the tradition on his own, recording favorite stories andContinue reading “Rodrigue’s Cajun Mardi Gras”
King Marion
For sixty-five years, the Krewe of Louisianians, comprised of the seven congressional districts of the State of Louisiana, has hosted a private Mardi Gras for 5,000 people in Washington, D.C. The three-day celebration includes the best examples of Louisiana’s food and music, while honoring its young women as princesses and festival queens. The Mardi GrasContinue reading “King Marion”
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”
The Daughters of André Chastant
Like ghosts of Evangeline, André Chastant’s daughters float brilliant in white and framed within the landscape of southwest Louisiana. The painting, a combination of photograph and imagination, is my favorite from George Rodrigue’s Cajun period. These daughters are not posed around their father as though for a photograph. Rather, they exist as one unit, aContinue reading “The Daughters of André Chastant”
Blue Dog Oak (Old Friends)
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)”
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”
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”
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”
Louisiana Legends
Between 1990 and 1993 artist George Rodrigue painted sixteen portraits on three canvases of Living Legends for Louisiana Public Broadcasting. The 1990 honorees and Rodrigue’s tribute painting launched an LPB tradition continuing today. All proceeds from posters of the three paintings benefited LPB’s television programming. “At the gala,” recalls Rodrigue, “each nominee gave a shortContinue reading “Louisiana Legends”
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”
Match Race
“The straight sprints raced in heats or in match races where the two riders would balance for long seconds on their machines for the advantage of making the other rider take the lead and then the slow circling and the final plunge into the driving purity of speed.” –Ernest Hemingway* Because life intended it thisContinue reading “Match Race”
Clifton Chenier and a Cajun Explosion
In 1985 George Rodrigue painted the great musician Clifton Chenier (1925-1987). At the time, Chenier was world-famous, crowned a Grammy Award winner in 1983 and summoned everywhere from San Francisco to Switzerland to share his unique Louisiana sound. Rodrigue’s timing in painting the portrait honors Chenier not only for his music, but also for hisContinue reading “Clifton Chenier and a Cajun Explosion”
Hopeful (Discomfort)
“Medicine is an art, not a science,” explained a friend recently, as I struggled with misdiagnoses and conflicting reports. “Fifteen people looked at my wife’s images,” he continued, “and only one analyzed it correctly.” (pictured, Dr. Dog, a 7-foot mixed media on chrome, from the collection of Lafayette General Hospital as part of the GeorgeContinue reading “Hopeful (Discomfort)”
Landlocked Pirogues & Blue Dog’s Eyes (The Art of Improvisation)
“People are moving in time and in history, in a pirogue, on land…” …wrote George Rodrigue in 1975 about his painting, John Courrege’s Pirogue. The painting is one of seventy-eight images featured in the book The Cajuns of George Rodrigue, the first book published nationally on the Cajun culture (Oxmoor House, 1976, detailed here). FromContinue reading “Landlocked Pirogues & Blue Dog’s Eyes (The Art of Improvisation)”
Crawfish Dreams and Artist Friends
George Rodrigue loves crawfish primarily as a symbol of Cajun culture. The shellfish itself is deadly to him, inducing a closed throat and limited breathing. “Soon after I did my crawfish festival poster, I developed practically overnight an allergy to crawfish. Even the smell of the boil leaves me wheezing and my wife running forContinue reading “Crawfish Dreams and Artist Friends”
Rodrigue’s Bicentennial Poster
George Rodrigue painted the Aioli Dinner in 1971 based on photographs of a gourmet dinner club, the Creole Gourmet Society. This was his first painting with people, and during the six months that he painted their portraits and a landscape on this single canvas, he developed a style uniquely his own and recognizable today, fortyContinue reading “Rodrigue’s Bicentennial Poster”
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”
Museum News (Rodrigue on the Walls)
Updated with additional exhibitions, August 1, 2012- If you were lucky enough to see the Rodrigue retrospective exhibitions in 2007 in Memphis and 2008 in New Orleans, then you know the power of such shows. For those who sought the Blue Dog, the Cajuns and Portraits piqued their interest, as they learned of Rodrigue’s twenty-fiveContinue reading “Museum News (Rodrigue on the Walls)”
Farmer’s Market
Since the early 1970s George Rodrigue set out to preserve on his canvas Louisiana’s Cajun heritage. Following his return to New Iberia from art school in Los Angeles, he noticed dramatic changes in the southwest parishes, and he feared that the Cajuns, his people, faded quickly as a distinct culture within America. Growing up, heContinue reading “Farmer’s Market”
The Mamou Riding Academy: Fact or Fiction
“One summer a German mule trader struggled to sell his last white mule. A farmer finally bought it for his daughter, and the daughter liked it so much that her friends each wanted one. In the end, the mule trader sold nine mules to nine fathers of nine little girls.” That’s the story of theContinue reading “The Mamou Riding Academy: Fact or Fiction”
George Rodrigue: Painting Louisiana
Note: Based on an essay scheduled for publication in an upcoming book* celebrating Louisiana’s bicentennial, published in April 2012 by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, this blog version includes added images, as well as links throughout, referring you to specific relevant posts and websites. Born and raised in New Iberia, Louisiana, George Rodrigue (b.Continue reading “George Rodrigue: Painting Louisiana”
The Family Table
In 1950 George Rodrigue drew and colored a turkey for his parents. On the back he wrote in a surprisingly elegant child’s script: For Mother and Dad on Thanksgiving: 1. Visits to chapel. 9 2. Prayers in school. 40 3. Decades of rosary. 27 George Rodrigue 2nd Grade To fit the tiny picture in aContinue reading “The Family Table”
LSU Football: A Personal History
I attended a small college, Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. In the mid-1980s we had maybe two thousand students. Although we had a football team, I don’t recall any games. We had a Greek system, but I evaded that as well, opting instead for extra classes and the AIDS suicide hotline. In short, IContinue reading “LSU Football: A Personal History”
The Secret of Pirate Lafitte’s Gold
“O’er the glad waters of the dark blue sea, Our thoughts as boundless, and our souls as free, Far as the breeze can hear, the billows foam, Survey our empire and behold our home!” –Lord Byron, 1814, The Corsair By 1974 George Rodrigue pursued a unique, self-invented style of American genre painting, typified by hardContinue reading “The Secret of Pirate Lafitte’s Gold”
A Cajun in California
It was ten years ago that George Rodrigue built his studio in the hills of Carmel Valley, California. Since that time, although we live most of the year in New Orleans, ninety percent of his work comes from this peaceful home on the West Coast, an escape from everything but nature and painting. -click photosContinue reading “A Cajun in California”
I Ain’t No Cartoon Dog
The Blue Dog is not a cartoon. It is a shape that interacts with other shapes, not characters, all according to George Rodrigue’s artistic eye. There are no speech bubbles coming from its mouth. Although it delivers a message, its exchange is a silent and mysterious communication between its golden saucers and our eyes. (pictured,Continue reading “I Ain’t No Cartoon Dog”
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”
Go North (to Shreveport) and Learn
Shreveport often gets a bum rap. “It’s east Texas,” claim many, as though that’s a bad thing. This Red River city fights for not only Louisiana’s embrace, but also the South’s. And yet Shreveport, along with nearby north Louisiana cities such as Natchitoches and Bossier City, cheers on the Saints and LSU. They talk aboutContinue reading “Go North (to Shreveport) and Learn”
Talk About Good!
In 1979 George Rodrigue loaned twenty of his Cajun paintings for use in Talk About Good II, a cookbook produced by the Junior League of Lafayette, Louisiana. The paintings introduce the book’s chapters and include dinner scenes, seafood preparations and Cajun characters, each complemented by Rodrigue’s brief descriptions. Rodrigue writes about the cover, Kiss MeContinue reading “Talk About Good!”
Rodrigue on the Red River
George Rodrigue has a long history with Shreveport, a northern Louisiana city oftentimes dismissed by southern Louisiana as ‘east Texas.’ As a child, Rodrigue’s own family, in fact, ignored this important part of Louisiana’s culture: “Growing up in New Iberia,” says George Rodrigue, “our travel plans meant east to New Orleans or Biloxi, or westContinue reading “Rodrigue on the Red River”
Chef Paul Prudhomme
If George Rodrigue has a chef’s counterpart, it’s Paul Prudhomme. They grew up in the relatively close Cajun towns of New Iberia and Opelousas, Louisiana. As young boys both pursued their passions as career goals, determined to hone their talents and define their lives with innovative, bold and personal contributions to the art of paintingContinue reading “Chef Paul Prudhomme”
White Linen Night, the Unexpected
Updated 8/1/13: Don’t miss White Linen Night 2013 on Saturday, August 3rd, featuring the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts in the New Orleans Arts District. Details at this link. ….Followed by Dirty Linen Night at the Rodrigue Gallery, 730 Royal Street on Saturday, August 10th, 2013; details here. I wouldn’t exactly call it aContinue reading “White Linen Night, the Unexpected”
The Spirit of the Next Hero
“I’m a naïve surrealist,” said George Rodrigue in 1985, “not a sports artist.” This week George Rodrigue unveils his large-scale painting The Spirit of the Next Hero, on view for the first time since he painted it in 1985 as the official poster for the National Sports Festival, an annual event renamed the U.S. OlympicContinue reading “The Spirit of the Next Hero”
My Favorite Painting
The Loup-garou is my favorite painting. I first saw it on a Sunday afternoon in 1991, a day that changed my life. I walked into the Rodrigue Gallery in the French Quarter to visit a friend, the gallery manager. At the time, I worked at Ann Taylor while attending graduate school at Tulane University, and I worried as my college job morphed intoContinue reading “My Favorite Painting”
Looking for Summer Shade
Update 7/20/2012: Another hot summer, this one spent unexpectedly in Houston, Texas, finds us missing our annual cross country drive once again. Unlike last year’s Louisiana exhibitions, however, this year we look forward to Blue Dogs in Texas, opening August 10th at the Amarillo Museum of Art, continuing until October 14, 2012. Contact the museumContinue reading “Looking for Summer Shade”
The Artist’s Father: George Godfrey Rodrigue, Sr. (Daddy and Baby George)
George Rodrigue rarely speaks of his father. I’ve written before about his construction and tomb business, as well as peripheral facts regarding his Cajun heritage. But even when pressed, I had a hard time pulling personal information about Big George from his son. As I suspected, George struggles with these memories, and he stared inContinue reading “The Artist’s Father: George Godfrey Rodrigue, Sr. (Daddy and Baby George)”
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”
Blue Dogs, Ghost Ranch and Mrs. Wertheimer: George Rodrigue at the Alexandria Museum of Art
“She created her own world, and I created mine,” explains George Rodrigue to his audience at the Alexandria Museum of Art last week, as he nods from a New Mexico landscape (left of the podium; click photo to enlarge) to his own wet Blue Dog canvas. I made a mental note to remember the line,Continue reading “Blue Dogs, Ghost Ranch and Mrs. Wertheimer: George Rodrigue at the Alexandria Museum of Art”
Recalling Le Grand Dérangement…from Quebec
As my sister Heather and I travel within Quebec this week, I note a surprise within every hair-raising, lightening speed turn of our host’s, a former racecar driver’s, Hummer. We flew (by plane) Thursday into Montreal and flew (by car) to the small village of Nominingue, where we remained two nights on a lake (anyContinue reading “Recalling Le Grand Dérangement…from Quebec”
The Artist’s Mother: Marie Courrege Rodrigue
“Aren’t you happy?” my uncle asked Marie Rodrigue on the night of my engagement to her son. “You’re going to have a daughter-n-law!” “I had one,” she replied, her face deadpan. “It didn’t work out.” When she died in 2008 at age one hundred and three, George Rodrigue’s mother still wanted to “go home” toContinue reading “The Artist’s Mother: Marie Courrege Rodrigue”
Hank Williams or Moon Mullican: A Blogging Dilemma
“I love how Louisiana artists yell out food names when they run out of lyrics.” -Elizabeth McClanahan, Senior at Loyola University, majoring in Music Industry Studies I intended this Jazz Fest post for weeks, focused on Hank Williams. George Rodrigue and I trekked through rural Alabama last month, the Hank Williams Trail, with stops inContinue reading “Hank Williams or Moon Mullican: A Blogging Dilemma”
Blue Dogs and Cajuns on the River: A Painting, Print and Exhibition
“Once a person tries hard enough and long enough without results, the last place they expect to be recognized is in their own backyard. George Rodrigue could not be more excited about this exhibition or the turnout of public support if his art were on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” That’s basically theContinue reading “Blue Dogs and Cajuns on the River: A Painting, Print and Exhibition”
Iry LeJeune, Cajun Accordion Player
Spring is festival season in Louisiana, and this history, particularly regarding Cajun music, exists visually in the musicians’ portraits painted by George Rodrigue. Since the early 1970s he painted dozens of music-related scenes, Southern music legends including everyone from Elvis Presley to Mahalia Jackson. (See the post “Musicians: A Series of Paintings”) However, the CajunContinue reading “Iry LeJeune, Cajun Accordion Player”
Monroe (that’s MUN-roe), Louisiana
Until recently I thought I understood Louisiana, its ins and outs, its people, its terrain, and its history. Yet we spent much of this past week in northeast Louisiana, and I found town after town unfamiliar, including our destination, Monroe, a city of cypress groves, 60,000 people, and tremendous state pride, located 270 miles northContinue reading “Monroe (that’s MUN-roe), Louisiana”
The Sketchbook
I titled this post and immediately laughed, because it reminded me of “The Reunion,” “The Body,” “The Therapist,” or any number of episode titles from “Matlock,” my latest mindless television escape. It was in 1960 that Coach Raymond Blanco, husband of former Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, famously threw George Rodrigue out of class forContinue reading “The Sketchbook”
Swamp Women (An Encore Presentation)
Celebrating my birthday and the Ides of March with an encore presentation of……. Swamp Women “Oh, this stinkin’ swamp water stinks!” –from the movie Swamp Women, 1955 Early on the morning of October 31st I met George Rodrigue in the garage for the two-hour drive to Lafayette, Louisiana, where we were to meet some friendsContinue reading “Swamp Women (An Encore Presentation)”
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”
Good, Good, Good Friends (Three New Orleans Chefs)
Artists and chefs share a natural bond. Creating unique art or food, they separate themselves from the pack, or from the yardstick as George would say, recalling a professor who explained, “Art is like a yardstick (held horizontally), with the Mona Lisa at one end and black paint on a black canvas at the other.Continue reading “Good, Good, Good Friends (Three New Orleans Chefs)”
Santa Claus: Paintings and Sculptures Inspired by the Season
In 1979 George Rodrigue painted his four-year old son André with Santa Claus. As with most of his Cajun paintings, he manipulated a photograph to suit his needs, in this case cutting the figures out of the staged snapshot and placing them outside. André posed with Santa not beneath an oak tree, but at AcadianaContinue reading “Santa Claus: Paintings and Sculptures Inspired by the Season”
The Greatest Gift
“And they sat there and they marveled And they knew they could not tell Whether it were angels, or the bright stars a singing”** I was surprised by the large and heartfelt response to the recent post “The Ghost of Christmas Past,” a story I hesitated sharing. Obviously there is something about this season thatContinue reading “The Greatest Gift”
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 Bronzes
George Rodrigue holds a deep appreciation for classicism in the visual arts. In a way, this embrace of time-honored techniques and subjects translates to a parallel within his own career, as even today he talks about his bronzes of the mid-1970s with reverence, recalling the process as though he worked alongside Donatello himself, paying tributeContinue reading “The Bronzes”
Blonde
Reflections On an Insane Yet Wonderful Week “How long were we gone?” asked George Rodrigue. “A week?” “More like 48 hours,” I replied… …as we recalled our visit to Little Rock, Arkansas last weekend, where we raised funds and awareness for arts education through events for the Thea Foundation and the George Rodrigue Foundation ofContinue reading “Blonde”
Women of Vision
Inspired by an upcoming speech for UL Lafayette’s ‘Women of Vision’ Lecture Series. For information see the bottom of this post- George Rodrigue’s paintings of women focus on both myth and reality. In most cases they include strong women with important roles in their community, Louisiana’s cultural history, and their own families. (pictured, Old LadiesContinue reading “Women of Vision”
Swamp Women
“Oh, this stinkin’ swamp water stinks!” –from the movie Swamp Women, 1955 Early on the morning of October 31st I met George Rodrigue in the garage for the two-hour drive to Lafayette, Louisiana, where we were to meet some friends from California at the Blue Dog Café. I was running late. “What are you wearing?!”Continue reading “Swamp Women”
Spirits in the Trees
A Tulane professor visiting the New Orleans gallery with her class this week asked me about George’s connection to voodoo. Although I’m sure she intended nothing of the sort, her question reminded me of the only negative comment we received in response to the 2008 Rodrigue exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art. AContinue reading “Spirits in the Trees”
Doctor on the Bayou
There was a time, other than The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie, that doctors made house calls. A time before waiting rooms and diagnostic centers and ten minute speed-treating, when doctors traveled to homes in the middle of the night, held their patient’s hand, and worried alongside panicked relatives. There was also aContinue reading “Doctor on the Bayou”
The Cajun Bride of Oak Alley
By the mid-1970s George Rodrigue spent his days scouting for subjects and his nights painting the Cajun culture. He concentrated on area traditions, such as The Aioli Dinner and The Traiteur (Cajun faith healer), famous locations such as Broussard’s Barber Shop and The Ragin’ Cajun Antiques, and legendary figures such as Jolie Blonde and Longfellow’sContinue reading “The Cajun Bride of Oak Alley”
Nature Girl (The Art of Modeling) G-RATED
(Note: For Facebook, I’ve amended the ‘Modeling’ post of 9/21/10, removing any images related to nudes. For further information, see the bottom of this post.) Griping about the challenges of modeling is humiliating, so I won’t do it. I mean, a model lies on a chaise lounge or perches on a stool or strolls towardsContinue reading “Nature Girl (The Art of Modeling) G-RATED”
Nature Girl (The Art of Modeling)
Griping about the challenges of modeling is humiliating, so I won’t do it. I mean, a model lies on a chaise lounge or perches on a stool or strolls towards the camera wearing costumes, beautiful clothes, or occasionally nothing at all. It’s ridiculously easy, right? Just last weekend, however, as I headed towards a previouslyContinue reading “Nature Girl (The Art of Modeling)”
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)”
Broussard’s Barber Shop (Melding Fact with Fiction)
After painting the Aioli Dinner in 1971, George Rodrigue’s confidence soared in rendering not only the Cajun figures, but also a style all his own. During the six months it took to complete the painting, he developed specific rules for himself, things separate from and often contradictory to the established rules of art. He wouldContinue reading “Broussard’s Barber Shop (Melding Fact with Fiction)”
Riding to New Orleans: An Artist’s Journey
For George, in honor of his new gallery and a dream fulfilled- In 1970 I bought a ticket on a train To New Orleans for my first art show, Oak Trees. I painted Cajuns, not Creoles, and then Blue Dogs and Hurricanes I built sculptures and changed directions, painting Tee Coons* and Jolies I’m anContinue reading “Riding to New Orleans: An Artist’s Journey”
Best of Musings and Paintings: Celebrating One Year and One Hundred Posts
And you thought I’d run out of things to write? Never! It’s been a year of Musings, with one hundred posts in all and nearly 12,000 readers per month. To mark the occasion, I’ve outlined below a ‘Best of…’ list based on your favorites (according to the stat counter) and mine, sprinkled throughout with George’sContinue reading “Best of Musings and Paintings: Celebrating One Year and One Hundred Posts”
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”
The American Cajun
For many years the Cajun’s identity was an ambivalent one. As recently as the 1970s, the label ‘Cajun’ was considered by many to be an insult. George Rodrigue’s own mother, in fact, was quick to point out her distaste for this aspect of George’s work, a twenty-five year dedication on his part: “You’re French! WhyContinue reading “The American Cajun”
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”
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”
Remembering Lafayette’s Advocates for the Arts, Circa 1969
This post is dedicated to Mrs. Frances Love (1926-2010), a friend of the arts. When George Rodrigue speaks of supporters during the early years of his career, three names always come up: Rita Davis, A. Hayes Town, and Frances Love. Between them they spent just a few hundred dollars on his canvases, however their influenceContinue reading “Remembering Lafayette’s Advocates for the Arts, Circa 1969”
The Class
My nine-year-old nephew William said to me, as I headed out the door to my 25th High School Reunion in Fort Walton Beach, Florida this weekend, “Why would you want to see all those old people? I mean, you could swim at the pool with us!” I tried (and failed) to explain to him aboutContinue reading “The Class”
Paintings for the Flora Levy Lecture Series at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Beginning in 1980 George Rodrigue painted ten portraits, one each year, honoring guest lecturers at what was then called the University of Southwest Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). The speaker series was conceived by Professor Maurice DuQuesnay and funded by Flora Levy, a Lafayette heiress and philanthropist who left her fortune toContinue reading “Paintings for the Flora Levy Lecture Series at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette”
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 Nude Figure
As a student, it was important to George Rodrigue to learn the fundamentals of art. He grew frustrated early on with his college education, a 1960s academic art world rooted in the abstract, as opposed to classical notions of compositional design, chiaroscuro (play of light and dark), and an accurate study of the human figure.Continue reading “The Nude Figure”
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)”
Fairs and Festivals, Ducks Unlimited and the New Orleans Jazz Club
If you ask George Rodrigue what made his art famous in Louisiana, his answer might surprise you. It’s not the Blue Dog, Absolut Vodka ads, or Jazz Fest. Rather, it’s the small town festival posters. Throughout the 1980s George created posters for dozens of festivals throughout the state. He sold thousands of these inexpensive offsetContinue reading “Fairs and Festivals, Ducks Unlimited and the New Orleans Jazz Club”
Musicians: A Series of Paintings
It’s spring in Louisiana, and that means seventy-degree weather, festivals, and live music. This weekend New Orleans hosts the French Quarter Festival, an annual free music festival throughout the oldest part of the city, and popular with both tourists and locals. Through the windows of our third floor bedroom in the Faubourg Marigny, we listenedContinue reading “Musicians: A Series of Paintings”
Rabbits and Chickens In (and Out) of Rodrigue Paintings
George Rodrigue’s sense of play spills over from his life into his art. Even in his Cajun paintings, which many consider to be his ‘serious work,’ he plays jokes on the public, entertaining himself and his audience with absurd subject matter, scale, and titles. The truth, however, is that when it comes to the actualContinue reading “Rabbits and Chickens In (and Out) of Rodrigue Paintings”
The Saga of the Acadians
Between 1985 and 1989, George Rodrigue painted the Saga of the Acadians, a series of fifteen paintings chronicling the Acadian journey from France to Nova Scotia in the 17th century, from Nova Scotia to Louisiana during the Grand Dérangement of 1755, and finally the first official return visit from Southwest Louisiana to Grand Pré inContinue reading “The Saga of the Acadians”
Flowers (Eyes, Swirls, and Hearts)
Anyone who knows George Rodrigue describes him as ‘manly.’ He has a deep voice and a large John Wayne-type rib cage; he wears alligator boots and drives a truck; he never misses a football game, and it pains him to attend the ballet or symphony; his favorite movies are The Searchers and High Noon, andContinue reading “Flowers (Eyes, Swirls, and Hearts)”
Blue Dog Today: An Interview with George Rodrigue
Every few weeks I devote a blog to the Blue Dog Story, from its loup-garou beginning in 1984, and on to Tiffany, Absolut and Xerox, Blue Dog Man, Sculptures, Red Dog, and Silkscreens. I last wrote about the Abstract Paintings of 2001-2003, and I’m a bit lost as to how to move forward. To assessContinue reading “Blue Dog Today: An Interview with George Rodrigue”
The Name ‘Rodrigue’ with Pronunciation and a Bit of History
The name ‘Rodrigue’ is a common one in Cajun country. However, outside the southern part of his home state, George Rodrigue endures miss-pronunciations and miss-spellings on a regular basis. Most of the time, people say or spell the name ‘Rodriguez.’ A close second is ‘Rodrique’ (with a ‘q’ in place of the ‘g’). And barContinue reading “The Name ‘Rodrigue’ with Pronunciation and a Bit of History”
Chef Paul Prudhomme
If George Rodrigue has a chef’s counterpart, it’s Paul Prudhomme. They grew up in the relatively close Cajun towns of New Iberia and Opelousas, Louisiana. As young boys both pursued their passions as career goals, determined to hone their talents and define their lives with innovative, bold and personal contributions to the art of paintingContinue reading “Chef Paul Prudhomme”
The Traiteur
With nearly 60,000 visitors in two months at the George Rodrigue exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2008, we received hundreds of letters, all positive, mostly from people who prior to NOMA knew little about the scope of George’s career. As a result, they were surprised at how much they enjoyed theContinue reading “The Traiteur”
Reagan, Bush, and Gorbachev: A Story
By the mid-1980s George Rodrigue had a significant national reputation as a fine artist. Ironically, although his paintings depicted the landscapes and people of South Louisiana, his work garnered little serious attention at home, where the locals associated him with festival posters and black trees. Elsewhere in the country, however, his reputation flourished, particularly followingContinue reading “Reagan, Bush, and Gorbachev: A Story”
From Jolie Blonde to Bodies: Paintings of Women
According to local legend, in the 1920s a Cajun imprisoned in Port Arthur, Texas pined for his lost love, his beautiful blonde, his “Jolie Blonde,” and wrote a waltz from those feelings of longing. Over the years the song became for many the Cajun anthem based on a sort of modern day Evangeline, and CajunContinue reading “From Jolie Blonde to Bodies: Paintings of Women”
Portraits: The Kingfish and Uncle Earl
For years George tried to convince me that he is not a portrait painter. He explained that others paint with far more skill in interpreting likenesses, and that he used his models as just that, models. If he paints Jolie Blonde, in other words, it’s not about the person posing, but rather about the legend.Continue reading “Portraits: The Kingfish and Uncle Earl”
Jimmy Domengeaux, George Rodrigue, and a Few Other Louisiana Characters
I assume other states have characters too, but between Governors Huey and Earl Long, singer and trumpet player Louis Prima, Coach Raymond Blanco, the French Quarter’s Ruthie the Duck Lady, Mr. Possum with his vegetable truck, and George’s Uncle Albert (and for that matter, my Uncle Jack) just to name a few, we are inundated.Continue reading “Jimmy Domengeaux, George Rodrigue, and a Few Other Louisiana Characters”
Art School: Lafayette and Los Angeles, 1962-1967
When George Rodrigue entered his senior year at Catholic High School in New Iberia, Louisiana in 1961, his future, to his mind, was certain. He would go to art school and become a professional artist. His parents, however, had other ideas, determined he have something more steady than his father’s (and grandfather’s) work in brick-layingContinue reading “Art School: Lafayette and Los Angeles, 1962-1967”
André and Jacques: The Rodrigue Brothers
George Rodrigue has two sons, André (born 1975) and Jacques (born 1981). They are as accustomed to the question “Do you paint?” as I am, maybe more; however, neither one followed in their dad’s artistic footsteps. Over the years George has painted his boys many times. Kiss Me, I’m Cajun, featuring André, is probably theContinue reading “André and Jacques: The Rodrigue Brothers”
A History of Evangeline in Rodrigue Paintings
There are enough Rodrigue Evangelines to fill an entire museum exhibition. He’s painted the Acadian heroine one hundred or more times over nearly forty years. Like Jolie Blonde, the Oak Tree, and the Blue Dog, she is a staple in his work, a protagonist as much for him as she is in the story ofContinue reading “A History of Evangeline in Rodrigue Paintings”
Oil Paint or Acrylic?
After experimenting in art school with several mediums, including designer colors, pastel, water color, and chalk, George Rodrigue settled on oil paint to create his dark landscapes of Louisiana oak trees in 1969. In those days money was a real concern, and he was aware that each stroke of his brush equated to less paintContinue reading “Oil Paint or Acrylic?”
Eisenhower and Higgins: A New Historical Painting
How do I explain a painting rooted in war? How does someone like me write about it in such a way that doesn’t offend the anti-war Americans (a position I respect immensely), or the veterans (a position I also respect immensely), but rather expresses pride for our country and compassion for our fellow human beings?Continue reading “Eisenhower and Higgins: A New Historical Painting”
Two Publishing Stories: The Cajuns and Blue Dog
The Cajuns of George Rodrigue By 1975 George Rodrigue was painting forty canvases a year, all scenes of Cajun folk-life stemming from his first painting with people, Aioli Dinner (1971), and incorporating the distinctive oak trees from his landscapes as well. Although he had a gallery in Lafayette, Louisiana, he was selling most of hisContinue reading “Two Publishing Stories: The Cajuns and Blue Dog”
Blue Dog: In the Beginning, 1984-1989
In 1980 a Baton Rouge investment group approached George Rodrigue for help in creating a lasting Louisiana memento, a book of Louisiana ghost stories to be sold at the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans. Author Chris Segura embellished forty rather gruesome tales, and Rodrigue researched regional myths and legends for appropriate imagery, resulting inContinue reading “Blue Dog: In the Beginning, 1984-1989”
The Aioli Dinner and a Cajun Artist
The first time I saw the original Aioli Dinner, I was struck by its monochromaticity. It is a green painting through and through. You don’t notice it in a photograph and certainly not in a print (as explained below), but the painting itself exudes the swamp, and one almost feels the mugginess, smells the sweat,Continue reading “The Aioli Dinner and a Cajun Artist”
Early Oak Trees and a Regrettable Self-Portrait
It was on the long drives back from The Art Center College of Design in California that George Rodrigue developed his style. He’d been thinking about it for some time – about how different South Louisiana is from other places, as well as the eighteen hundred miles of cities and countryside and Americans he passedContinue reading “Early Oak Trees and a Regrettable Self-Portrait”
My Favorite George Rodrigue Painting
Note: I reworked this post in July 2011. To see my favorite painting and George Rodrigue’s least favorite painting (pictured at the bottom of this post) in person, visit the exhibition “Blue Dogs and Cajuns on the River,” July 23 – September 18, 2011, at the Baton Rouge Museum of Art at the Shaw Center.Continue reading “My Favorite George Rodrigue Painting”
Tombs in the Life and Art of George Rodrigue
It’s Halloween, which makes me think of skeletons and vampires and okay, pumpkins and candy, but those don’t apply here, which makes me think of cemeteries and caskets, which makes me think of George Rodrigue’s unusual to my mind and on-going interest in tombs. As I mentioned briefly in my last post, George’s father wasContinue reading “Tombs in the Life and Art of George Rodrigue”
How Baby George Became an Artist
George Rodrigue grew up an only child in New Iberia, Louisiana, a small town in the heart of Cajun country. His father, also named George Rodrigue, was a bricklayer by trade, but he dabbled in other businesses as well. As the youngest of thirteen children, Big George (as he was known around town) took onContinue reading “How Baby George Became an Artist”
Seeing is Understanding
Over the years I’ve realized something about George Rodrigue that is different from any adult I’ve ever known — he sees in a unique way. On the most simplistic level, for example, he doesn’t remember telephone numbers, but rather traces patterns on a keypad. When we were looking to paint our house in Lafayette (beforeContinue reading “Seeing is Understanding”
History of an Artist?
Written after reading a recent article about a ‘discovered’ (by x-ray) N.C. Wyeth painting located underneath a later N.C. Wyeth painting (turns out he had re-used the canvas). The resulting on-line debate and discussion covered everything from illustration vs art, to the artist’s intention in covering or ‘hiding’ an earlier work, to the definition ofContinue reading “History of an Artist?”