Born and raised in New Iberia, LA, the heart of Cajun country, George Rodrigue's work remains rooted in the familiar milieu of home. After studying art at the University of Southwest Louisiana in Lafayette, and the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, he returned to Louisiana. He developed his unique style, using the area's visual symbols not only to capture the essence of his personal world, but also to express his spiritual and cultural ideas as they pertained to Louisiana, to the South, and to America.

A Smarter BreedUsing the oak tree as his subject in hundreds of paintings in the early 1970s, Rodrigue eventually expanded his oeuvre to include the Cajun people and traditions, as well as his interpretations of myths such as Jolie Blonde and Evangeline. It was one of these myths, the loup-garou, which inspired Rodrigue's most famous series, the Blue Dog.

The Blue Dog, as well as other series such as Bodies, Hurricanes, and Reflections continue to challenge Rodrigue artistically.