Painted in 1996, Stars Hang Out Together became one of the cornerstones of Houston businessman Don Sanders’ collection of Rodrigue’s art because it was the first Blue Dog in his collection. In addition to becoming one of Rodrigue’s close friends, Sanders would go on to amass one of the largest collections of the artist’s work, as highlighted in the publication ‘Rodrigue: The Sanders Collection,’ released in 2015.

This print shows the Blue Dog with its alter ego, the Red Dog surrounded by bright, yellow stars. The work highlights Rodrigue’s eye for composition and design. Instead of painting perfectly whole stars around the dogs, Rodrigue infuses the work with visual interest by creating the illusion that the dogs have been placed atop an existing plane of stars. Parts and portions of stars poke out from behind the dogs creating a balance between negative and positive space within the work. The yellow stars accent the yellow in the dogs’ eyes and highlight the fact that the work is composed mainly of the three primary colors.

The work’s title, Stars Hang Out Together, may allude to the growing popularity of the Blue Dog in the 1990s. Yet given the painting’s history of ownership, a retrospective reading of the work’s title and subject matter may incline a viewer to understand this work as a representation of friendship and camaraderie.