“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: Prints
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”
I am Not the Artist.
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.”
Choo Choo Ch’Boogie (An Adventure)
Last year I often found George Rodrigue in his studio in the middle of the night. He worked for weeks on the painting Choo Choo Ch’Boogie, yet instead of photographing him at his easel, I stood quietly behind and watched. (pictured: Choo Choo Ch’Boogie, 2013 by George Rodrigue, acrylic on canvas, 48×60 inches) At the time,Continue reading “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie (An Adventure)”
The Truth, I Swear
My sister talked me into posting “15 facts that people might not know” recently on my family facebook page. The reactions ranged from surprise to confessions to fun. Emboldened, and as a little something different on this blog, I post them again here, along with a few photos (click to enlarge). 1-I was bornContinue reading “The Truth, I Swear”
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”
Shiny Happy Blue Dog
“We mortals are but shadows and dust.” –Proximo, Gladiator Recently, while shopping for skinny jeans and day-glo tees with my sister and cousin, I time-warped to the 1980s when flashy jewelry, exaggerated shoulders, and acrylic fingernails prevailed. For a while, subtle feminine style seemed lost forever. George Rodrigue has never been subtle, in his ideas,Continue reading “Shiny Happy Blue Dog”
Looking for a Beach House
George Rodrigue’s first print of 2013 breaks new ground for the artist. Partial to silkscreens for his Blue Dog designs, he ventures instead into complex lithography, channeling printmaking giants of the past. “It’s the first print I’ve created for the gallery that’s truly an original lithograph made from twenty-two plates, printed on stone, in theContinue reading “Looking for a Beach House”
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”
Hollywood Stars
Most folks have seen Casablancaso many times that, unless one happened to visit a theater in 1942, we don’t remember our first encounter with Rick and Ilsa. The film runs together as a nostalgic and romantic constant, a symbol for moviegoers everywhere of why we love the picture show. In his newest series, Hollywood Stars,Continue reading “Hollywood Stars”
Some Like It Hot
George Rodrigue’s newest artwork, Some Like It Hot, pays tribute to Marilyn Monroe, a golden icon of the silver screen and public fantasy. He frames her with a bold design of color and shape, including his own icons, the Blue and Red Dogs. (pictured, Some Like It Hot, 2012 by George Rodrigue, 26×40 inches, silkscreenContinue reading “Some Like It Hot”
Cow Dogs
Every once in a while a new silkscreen provokes a collective gasp— from our staff, from collectors, even from George Rodrigue himself, as though surprised by his own artwork. It first happened in 1991 with Starry, Starry Eyes, then in 1995 with Party Animal (a Mardi Gras tribute), and again in 2002 with over-sized motorcycleContinue reading “Cow Dogs”
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”
Lucky Dog
Yesterday morning I sat in the window of a Houston, Texas café, George Rodrigue’s sandwich order in hand, awaiting the counter change from breakfast to lunch. An Ignatius J. Reilly nearby spoke of high water and broken computers into what I first thought was a hand’s free phone but turned out to be air. “DamnContinue reading “Lucky Dog”
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”
A Star-spangled Blue Dog (from Houston)
Happy 4th of July! It’s an odd one, this middle of the week celebration, but perhaps that awkward timing renews enthusiasm, as folks have big plans, including barbeques and neighborhood parties despite the hottest summer on record. We spied decorations in unexpected places, and for the first time ever received gifts and cards as weContinue reading “A Star-spangled Blue Dog (from Houston)”
Happy Father’s Day, George!
I’ve written before about brothers André and Jacques Rodrigue. George painted his boys many times, and the paintings, including Kiss Me I’m Cajun with André and Paint Me Back Into Your Life with Jacques, are classics among his oeuvre. (For a look at those iconic works, along with a collection of family photographs, see theContinue reading “Happy Father’s Day, George!”
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)”
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”
Who Will She Be Today?
George Rodrigue’s newest silkscreen, Who Will She Be Today?, is a rare style among his prints. Only a handful of his Blue Dog works on paper originate with paintings. Usually, as explained in the post “Silkscreens,” he creates the design on tracing paper or, more often, within his computer, printing an original image unrelated toContinue reading “Who Will She Be Today?”
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”
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”
Hiding From the Blues
Recently I challenged George Rodrigue: Pretend I’m a stranger and answer some questions. “Do you ever get the Blues?” “No, I really don’t, at least not on my own,” he said. “But I do catch the Blues from others.” “Like your wife?” I asked. But I already knew the answer. (pictured, The Red Cover-Up, 2010, acrylicContinue reading “Hiding From the Blues”
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”
Honesty, an Image for Peace
Following 9/11, George Rodrigue, like people everywhere, remained shell-shocked for years over the hatred that spawned a terrorist attack. Although he painted God Bless America in direct response, the tragedy of that day and the desire to help, to change the world even in some small way, resonated long after. The success of the GodContinue reading “Honesty, an Image for Peace”
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”
Okaloosa Island
The white sands of Okaloosa Island encompass only 875 acres, a narrow, three-mile stretch of land between Fort Walton Beach and Destin in the Florida Panhandle. Although part of the larger Santa Rosa Island, reaching forty miles to Navarre Beach, Okaloosa Island remains isolated from the larger area, a military training ground reserved by theContinue reading “Okaloosa Island”
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”
Mixed Medias: A Special Series on Board
In the past, I wrote extensively about George Rodrigue’s mixed medias. Usually he tacks large-scale silkscreen images of simple dogs onto the wall of our garage, painting, even doodling, on the heavy paper prints with unblended colors straight from the can or tube. He uses large brushes and works quickly, often painting a dozen piecesContinue reading “Mixed Medias: A Special Series on Board”
Butterflies Are Free
When I asked George Rodrigue this week for the title of his newest silkscreen print, he said, “Did we have one called ‘Butterflies Are Free’?” Not only do we have one, I reminded him, (it was his first piece with butterflies, featured later in this post), but also he suggests that same title for everyContinue reading “Butterflies Are Free”
Motorcycles (The Blue Dog Hog)
Although not a rider himself, George Rodrigue relates to the seduction of the open road and the notion of freedom and Americana attached to motorcycles. Twice each year we cross the country in our truck, no books or computers allowed, so that we experience the West without distractions. We keep the music to a minimum,Continue reading “Motorcycles (The Blue Dog Hog)”
Saving an Oak Tree (for Romain)
“Actually, I thought about a specific old friend before a specific old tree,” said George Rodrigue when he found out about the 250-year old Youngsville Heritage Oak, destined for destruction next month to make room for a temporary road. George’s connection to the small Louisiana town called Youngsville, near Lafayette, was his best friend RomainContinue reading “Saving an Oak Tree (for Romain)”
Mardi Gras Silkscreens: A History
George Rodrigue created his first Blue Dog Mardi Gras silkscreen in 1992. He designed the simple, strong image by hand, drawing the outlines for each color on a separate sheet of tracing paper to make the six-color print, and emphasizing the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple (justice), gold (power), and green (faith). The printContinue reading “Mardi Gras Silkscreens: A History”
Mardi Gras Colors on Paper
Since his earliest Cajun paintings, George Rodrigue painted the parades, costumes, and colors of Mardi Gras. Over the next six weeks (leading up to March 8th, Mardi Gras Day), I’ll explore that history within this blog, including his Cajun posters for small town Louisiana carnival traditions; twenty years of Mardi Gras Blue Dog silkscreens; photographsContinue reading “Mardi Gras Colors on Paper”
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”
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”
A Passionless Style?
We took a short trip to New York this week as we met with publishers and celebrated the launch of Deb Shriver’s elegant tribute to New Orleans, Stealing Magnolias. With only a few hours to explore the city, I found myself once again with my museum pal Emer*, this time at the Morgan Library. FarContinue reading “A Passionless Style?”
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”
God Bless America: A Silkscreen Following 9/11/01
Like most of you, what I remember vividly about September 11th 2001, is a never-ending televised replay of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center. I have another memory though, just as vivid, of my nephew William Parker, only a few months old, lying on the floor and laughing up at his mom and meContinue reading “God Bless America: A Silkscreen Following 9/11/01”
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”
Blue Dog: Mixed Media
In many ways George Rodrigue is a big kid. Although he’s serious in both the application and concept of his art, he’s never denied that painting is fun. In fact, he’s famous for saying, “If it’s not fun for me, then I don’t do it.” He strives more for himself than for his audience toContinue reading “Blue Dog: Mixed Media”
Blue Dog Speaks
With his Cajun works, George Rodrigue’s titles describe a scene in its simplest terms. The paintings themselves hold narratives, and their titles merely state the obvious. Louisiana Hayride (1972) Looking for Summer Shade (1973) The Aioli Dinner (1971, for a complete history of this, Rodrigue’s most famous Cajun painting, visit here) However, the Blue DogContinue reading “Blue Dog Speaks”
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”
The Jazz Fest Poster: Part 2
With this post, George and I remember Mrs. Frances Fernandez, long-time President and Board member of the New Orleans Jazz Club, who dedicated her life to the appreciation of New Orleans’s jazz musicians. We also remember Bill Hemmerling, a beloved local artist who painted the 2005 poster for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.Continue reading “The Jazz Fest Poster: Part 2”
The Jazz Fest Poster: Part 1
In 1994 when first approached by ProCreations, the poster company for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, George Rodrigue hesitated. “It has to be my rules,” he said: “I want to paint Louis Armstrong, and I want to paint him without the Blue Dog.” Up until this time Jazz Fest posters included only musiciansContinue reading “The Jazz Fest Poster: Part 1”
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”
Blue Dog: The Silkscreens
George Rodrigue’s newest silkscreen* print, We Blues Dem Away (Ain’t Dat Super) is a typical example of his print process. In recent years he uses the computer to design his silkscreens so that the print itself, as opposed to a painting, is the original work of art. (pictured, 2010, 33×26 inches, partially a benefit forContinue reading “Blue Dog: The Silkscreens”
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”