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Introducing... The Other Side
From the Introduction to The Other Side of the Painting by Wendy Rodrigue, published October 2013 by UL Press-My mom, an artist, talked me into my first Art History class, a sweeping journey from cave...
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The Right Thing
“I hate the right thing to do...” ...grumbled my young cousin, her back to me as she descended the stairs. This was several years ago in New Orleans, and I had just pushed her towards something that...
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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...
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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...
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The Lone Artist
“The artist is involved with art as a way of life.”*George Rodrigue and I discuss often the definition of art. We study the roles of craft, commercialism, high and low art, concluding always that...
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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...
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Rembrandt: A Memory
In the summer of 2005, George Rodrigue and I visited Amsterdam. Rembrandt’s house was recently opened to the public. Because he declared bankruptcy, a detailed list exists of his 1656 belongings,...
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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....
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Farewell, For Now
Dear Friends,Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your kind messages, articles and prayers. I know that many of you are hurting, and I am truly touched not only by your memorial tributes for...
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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...
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Swimming Upstream
This morning George joined me in the bedroom after painting all night. We stood at the window and watched the sunrise. “There’s only one owl,” I whispered. “Maybe they split up,” he...
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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,...
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Rodrigue On Stage
George Rodrigue and I worked as a team on stage for many years. Recently, especially after he became ill, I filled in for him occasionally on my own; yet he was always there, coaching me beforehand and...
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Circle of Life: Round Paintings
As I understand it, the bright-colored mandala represents the universe; its creation in sand and its inevitable destruction represent the impermanence of life.*Some years ago I asked George Rodrigue if...
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Boundless: Saved by Art
Early last year I retreated for three months to a tiny cottage in Seaside, Florida. I was raised on nearby Okaloosa Island, and as I searched for 'home' ....alone... this community provided physical...
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Magic People
“I never thought before that I was interesting, but after talking with you, I realize that I’m fascinating!”–Roz ColeIn September 2013 I spent several weeks in a New York City hospital room with George...
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For New Orleans
Ten years ago this week George and I were in Houston, Texas with most of our staff for an exhibition of his work. None of us knew what was coming and that it would be many months before we returned...
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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...
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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,...
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The Moment
“What are you thinking about?” I asked George, following hours of silence. “The road,” he replied.After dozens of cross-country journeys together over twenty years, his answer was always the same. So...
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