“In Art, the more personal you become, the better you become.” George Rodrigue as I wrote his words in my journal, 6/30/11 Years ago, George’s and my publishing agent, Roz Cole, pushed me to write a book she called, How to Love.* At the time, I humored her by considering it, but I deferred toContinue reading “Bodies”
Category Archives: Jolie Blonde
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”
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)”
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!”
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 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”
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”
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”
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”
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)”
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”
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 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”
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”
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”