Large George Rodrigue (Louisiana, 1944-2013) acrylic on canvas titled "Trees Are Green; Dogs are Not Supposed to be Blue". The painting depicts two of Rodrigue's best known images: a Blue Dog with yellow eyes, foreground, and a moss laden "Rodrigue Oak" tree against an expressionist yellow, gold, blue and green background. Signed Rodrigue lower left, additionally signed and dated 2011 en verso. Housed in a molded gilt wood frame. Canvas: 36" x 48". Framed: 43" H x 55 1/4" W. Provenance: Private Southern Collection, acquired from George Rodrigue Gallery, New Orleans, 2012. This painting will be included in the forthcoming catalog raisonne of George Rodrigue works being prepared by the artist's estate. Note: this painting was begun by Rodrigue on Nov. 11, 2010 during an event at the Central School Arts and Humanities Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana to raise funds and awareness for the George Rodrigue Foundation for the Arts. We wish to thank the Rodrigue estate for providing a digital photograph George Rodrigue at work on this painting. Biography: Born and raised in Cajun Country, artist George Rodrigue "portrayed on his canvas what he feared was his dying heritage – including its land, people, traditions, and mythology and sought to "graphically interpret the Cajun culture, preserving it in the face of a progressive world". Rodrigue began to draw and paint as a child, after being confined to bed with polio. Recovered, he went on to study art at the University of Southwest Louisiana and the Art Center College of Design, then in Los Angeles. In the early 1990s he was commissioned to create art for a book of Cajun ghost stories. This project was the genesis of his Blue Dog Series, inspired by the French-Cajun loup-garou legend, and modeled after his own childhood dog, Tiffany. Blue Dog catapulted him to worldwide fame. Rodrigue portrayed his famous melancholy canine subject in a variety of unlikely settings, with Presidents, celebrities and in ads for Absolut Vodka, as well as in traditional bayou landscapes. A passionate philanthropist, Rodrigue later founded the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts www.rodriguefoundation.org, advocating the importance of the arts in education. Programs include art supplies for schools, scholarships, and arts integration through Louisiana A+ Schools. Rodrique died of cancer in 2013 at the age of 69. (Source: The George Rodrigue Foundation). PRE-APPROVAL IS REQUIRED TO BID ON THIS LOT. PLEASE CONTACT CASE ANTIQUES, INC. AT THE KNOXVILLE GALLERY FOR DETAILS. 865-558-3033 or BID@CASEANTIQUES.COM. Condition: Overall excellent condition, no damage.