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”
Category Archives: Loup-garou
An Intimate Painter
In his last weeks, while George slept, I watched for hours as he painted in the air…. *** Several months ago I posted a painting to George’s facebook page along with the words, “For Rodrigue, the Blue Dog, as it exists on his canvas, never referenced a real dog.” The backlash was immediate, as people defendedContinue reading “An Intimate Painter”
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”
Blue Dog: A Life of Its Own
“Feel the dignity of a child. Do not feel superior to him, for you are not.” – Robert Henri It was in Hollywood, ironically, that George Rodrigue and I reflected recently on the Blue Dog in a new way. We learned of a school in southern California that used the styles of art world mastersContinue reading “Blue Dog: A Life of Its Own”
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”
Dogs in Space
“I dropped the Cajun influence, just painting a Blue Dog, and I wondered, What does that mean?” –George Rodrigue It was the painting Loup-garouof 1991 that altered the Blue Dog concept for George Rodrigue, as he abandoned his oak trees and Cajun figures for the first time since the late 1960s. Although he painted theContinue reading “Dogs in Space”
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”
Dog in a Box
In yoga, I spent years within our bedroom practicing tree pose, standing on one leg, arms stretching skyward, until I balanced with ease. Yet at my first attempt outside, at the edge of our patio in Carmel Valley, California, I fell. Breaking my own rule, I donned my glasses, focusing on a distant tree, andContinue reading “Dog in a Box”
Swamp Dogs: A Series on Metal
More than a year in the making, George Rodrigue’s Swamp Dogs combine print, photography and varnish on large sheets of metal, resulting in a unique perspective of the Louisiana landscape. Beyond materials, however, the series originates with two stories. Rodrigue, a Cajun artist for forty-five years, illustrates Louisiana lore including not only the loup-garou, butContinue reading “Swamp Dogs: A Series on Metal”
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”
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”
Blue Dog in a Landscape
After more than forty years and thousands of paintings, it is the dog-in-a-landscape that stands out as George Rodrigue’s most popular subject. The first Blue Dog painting (1984) depicts a scary loup-garou in a landscape (pictured here), a style that continues for the following five or six years. These early Blue Dog works combine George’sContinue reading “Blue Dog in a Landscape”
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”
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?”
Blue Dog: The Ghost of Tiffany, 1990-1992
In 1989 artist George Rodrigue, an investor, and that investor’s agent-brother opened The Rodrigue Gallery of New Orleans just behind St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter. In those first months the gallery exhibited George’s Cajun paintings, mostly large genre works featuring his friends and family as models. However, as I mentioned in a previousContinue reading “Blue Dog: The Ghost of Tiffany, 1990-1992”
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”