Artist George Rodrigue, known for his paintings of a beseeching, yellow-eyed blue dog is recovering from months of cancer treatment. Rodrigue said that while preparing for surgery to eliminate back pain, doctors discovered that he suffered from a rare form of lung cancer that had spread to other parts of his body. After undergoing a series of ?very tough? radiation treatments and chemotherapy at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Rodrigue said that doctors are satisfied the cancer has been eliminated.
Rodrigue, 68, said that the diagnosis of lung cancer was particularly shocking since he has never smoked. He said that illness may have resulted from a time in the mid 1980s, when he routinely sprayed canvases with clear varnish in an unventilated studio. He said he contracted hepatitis from the exposure. He has since used water-based paints only, but the damage may have already been done. He offers this advice to artists: ?If you have to use varnishes, use them outside or put a (filtration) mask on. They have a (warning) label right on the can. I didn?t heed it.?
Born in New Iberia, Rodrigue has achieved world-wide fame for his brightly hued Louisiana landscapes occupied by his iconic blue dog figure, though he is also known for an earlier series of moody landscapes and portraits that document Cajun culture. His three-story Royal Street gallery is a French Quarter landmark. An enormous three-dimensional version of his blue dog stands at the corner of Severn Avenue and Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie. A retrospective of his work is now on display at the Amarillo Museum of Art.
In the period after Hurricane Katrina, Rodrigue raised more than two million dollars for New Orleans causes from the Louisiana Red Cross to the New Orleans Museum of Art. The George Rodrigue Foundation provides scholarships for Louisiana students entering college. On Tuesday (Sept. 25) Rodrigue received a Community Arts Award from the Arts Council of New Orleans for his contributions to the region. During the ceremony, his successful treatment for cancer first became public, as he and his wife thanked well-wishers and supporters.
?In the last three weeks, I?m painting again. I look at it as another future,? he said in a telephone interview. Rodrigue said that he?s not sure how the profound experience will affect his art, but he?s certain that style or content changes will eventually take place.
?It?ll be interesting for me to see what I?ll do,? he said.
Reach Doug MacCash at dmaccash@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3481. Read more art news at nola.com/arts. Follow him at twitter.com/DougMacCashTP.
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Source: http://www.nola.com/arts/index.ssf/2012/09/blue_dog_artist_george_rodrigu.html
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