"The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?" ~Pablo Picasso
After cutting through Pirate's Alley to get to Royal Street, you see a picture of a blue dog. Don't be frightened. The Blue Dog is known throughout New Orleans as a creation of George Rodrigue.
George Rodrigue, a Cajun painter, began painting the landscapes of beautiful Arcadia and followed with the cultural scenes of Cajuns and their way of life. Then, he had an idea. Based on his beloved pet Tiffany, Rodrigue wanted to paint a picture of a scary loup garou (a Cajun werewolf) that inhabited the marshes of Arcadia. In the first picture, the artist painted a grayish-blue dog at night that many people said was actually blue, hence the Blue Dog was born. A series of many paintings featuring the Blue Dog is here.
Rodrigue's other pictures included the Arcadian culture as well as a few portraits of Pete Fountain and other famous people. Since he painted everything Arcadian, he even has an Arcadian Ambulance in one of his many pictures.
The office is very small, with posters hanging from the wall and in a rack. You can browse and see the dog almost anywhere: on a dollar bill, the Venus painting when she's in the middle of a clam, and in a picture with Louis Armstrong. The gallery offers signed and numbered silkscreen prints, as well as original works throughout the artist's career.