Elemore Morgan Jr 1931 -2008

This past Sunday was Elemore Morgan Jr.'s wake. A "Cajun wake."

What makes a Cajun wake different than a regular wake? Well, it is not mournful but it is respectful. It is a celebration of the person. Food, music and drink are the order of the day. Stories are told. People leave feeling better that when they arrived.

Elemore's wake was held at his home. He lived in the low land prairie, amongst the rice fields, which he loved, and painted. It was hot -even by Louisiana standards. But hundreds of people showed up. We remembered Elemore. We eat. We laughed. We cried. We remembered. I believe Elemore would have been flattered (and maybe a bit embarrassed,) but grateful.

In this week's The Independent, there is the most wonderful article about Elemore. It was written by the people who knew him and felt compelled to tell the world about him.

Click here to read it

“Elemore, there is something I have been meaning to ask you for a good while.”

“What’s that, Phil?”

“Elemore, what is the meaning of life?”

Without skipping a beat, he uttered, “I am not sure, but I know it’s 80 percent maintenance.”

Elmore Morgan Jr. Article

Reese Fuller has written two beautiful articles about Elmore Morgan Jr. in The Independent Weekly.

From the article:
“If you think you want to be an artist, you need to pay attention to that, wherever it may lead you. It may not lead you exactly where you think, but I’m absolutely convinced that you pay attention and trust your own vision wherever it leads you. It is kind of uncertain. But boy, I’ll tell you what, I wouldn’t really want to live any other way.”

R.I.P. Elmore Morgan Jr.

Sunday afternoon I received a text message: Elmore Morgan Jr. died today at 4pm.

To me, Elmore was a teacher, a mentor, a comrade in art and a friend. He taught me at University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He not only encouraged me to be an artist but he pushed me and showed me what I was capable of, as an artist. He is also the first to tell me that I should work in more than one discipline (painting and photography). The last time I saw him was in October. He was signing the Festival Acadian posters he had done. His inscription to me is a great and special gift to me. Rest peacefully Elmore. I hope your after life is a Louisiana prairie- like the most beautiful painting of the prairie you ever created.