Farewell and hello

I hadn’t mentioned on here the death of artist George Rodrigue in mid December. I first became aware of him in the late 1980s on a trip Lynne and I took to Alabama. Coming back to Texas, we stopped at a restaurant in Louisiana where some of Rodrigue’s Cajun paintings were on exhibit. A few years later, through my friend Jeff, I became familiar with Tiffany, Rodrigue’s deceased dog who became “Blue Dog” and brought Rodrigue international recognition. Through the years, I’ve shared links and photos here to express my love for Blue Dog. Each day when I look up from my monitor, this is what I see.

Those are framed postcards. If memory serves me, the one on the left was part of a Christmas promotion from retailer Neiman Marcus in the 1990s. The one on the right advertised a gallery showing of Rodrigue’s Blue Dog in Manhattan. On my first trip to New York in 1998, James and I were walking in Soho when he spotted a banner advertising the exhibit. It seemed fated that we should see something so familiar and beloved so far from home. (That’s the trip when I met Tim and Timmy in person for the first time. So many great memories…)

It’s a delight that I’ve been to New Orleans so many times and had the pleasure of visiting the Rodrigue gallery/studio in its old and new locations. Rodrigue taught himself to paint when he was bedridden from polio as a child. He pursued an art education, and as his success and acclaim grew, he gave back so much. I love that one element of his success came from the way he poured his love and grief for his dog into his work. Inspiration is everywhere, and how beautiful when it comes from a companionship like that.

I was reminded of this again by a book that David and Geri sent to me at Christmas signed by the author.

When Corinne Humphrey took time off from her twenty-five year career as a flight attendant, she decided to fulfill two longtime goals. One was to get a dog, and the other was to take art classes. This is how she met her forever dog Rudy and was inspired by him in her art. I’m happy to welcome Rudy into the family of dogs who frolic through my brain and provide a feast for my eyes. Humphrey’s website is here if you’d like to get to know Rudy, too. He imparts wisdom in a most playful way.

I encourage everyone to use 2014 to tap into your creativity. Whether you finally take that class in photography you’ve been putting off, write that short story that’s in your head, creatively compile those family recipes into a single binder, or grab yourself a sketch book and put some of the pictures in your brain or in front of your eyes on paper, you’ll be nourishing yourself. Turn off the voices of doubt and criticism and shoot for the moon!