RODRIGUE CHOSEN TO PAINT OFFICIAL INAUGURAL PORTRAIT

Governor-elect Kathleen Babineaux Blanco adds her presence to the already colorful history of Louisiana politics as of November 15, 2003, when the state broke new ground and elected its first female governor.
 
Governor Blanco's inaugural committee commissioned artist George Rodrigue to paint her official portrait to commemorate the event.
 
In the painting, the sun dawns on the Louisiana landscape and the state's capital, symbolizing Governor Blanco's promise of a "new Louisiana."
 
Formed by the roots of the Louisiana live oak, the state's shape forms at the base of the tree.  Governor Blanco stands amidst her own roots --- Acadiana.
 
On the left, the statue of Evangeline, Louisiana's heroine from Longfellow's poem, lingers as a ghost of historic and strong Louisiana women.
 
On the right, the artist's most famous symbol, the Blue Dog, appears in its original form, as the Cajun loup-garou , a ghost dog or werewolf that, according to legend, lurks in the sugarcane fields of New Iberia, home to both George Rodrigue and Governor Blanco.
 
Beginning January 11, 2004, the painting will hang on public display for six weeks at the Louisiana State Museum in Shreveport in conjunction with The Art of George Rodrigue , a forty-year retrospective exhibition of the artist's work.