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”
Category Archives: Musings
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”
Lucky 22
“When you hit twenty-two, it changes the game…” …said my friend, referring to her lucky number as we played our own “terrific” version of poker in between blood pressure readings, bed changes, and doctor’s visits. I’m in the hospital again, sharing life’s challenges with an ill friend who, although I’ve taken pages of notes aboutContinue reading “Lucky 22”
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”
Tom “Slim” Gray
“I wish I’d met you 20 years ago,” …said a tearful George Rodrigue on the phone last week with Tom “Slim” Gray of Alvin, Texas. The two became friends in Houston during the summer of 2012. They exchanged stories every Monday for nearly three months, as they sat for hours during chemotherapy. “I just wantedContinue reading “Tom “Slim” Gray”