My friend, Paul Johnson, passed away in New Orleans on Sunday. He went by "Pableaux." He was 59. He was a renowned cook. A brilliant writer. A diligent photographer and so much more. I met him here in Austin way back in the late 1980s. He was working in tech and every once in a while he'd cook up a big ten gallon pot of gumbo or red beans and rice and invite every one he knew well and everyone he'd like to have known better over to his small house in Landon Lane and feed them.
I once ran into Pableaux unexpectedly in Rome, Italy of all places. He'd left the tech world altogether and was writing and photographing about food from all over the world for the New York Times. I asked him what brought him to Rome. His answer: He'd pitched the NYTimes a story about the best gelatos in Italy and they had ante'd up the budget for him to do the story. He was walking through the Piazza di Popolo heading toward yet another gelato shop. The ultimate bon vivant. He enjoyed life with incredible energy.
My own special memories of Paul were about me teaching him photography and getting occasional phone calls, usually followed by visits for extensive lunches and consultations about which camera to buy and...how then to use it. Here is my epitaph for Paul: I taught Paul how to do photographs. Paul taught me how to enjoy life.
I'll miss him very much. As will hundreds of other people. All of whom will consider him to have been a close and special friend. Here's more information: https://www.nola.com/news/pableaux-johnson-dies/article_8dcbe608-dc49-11ef-93af-ebc56bc9752d.html
On Christmas day my family lost my little sister. She'd battled cancer for eight years and had recently undergone a bone marrow transplant. On Christmas day, just before her family arrived to celebrate she died suddenly. It was a devastating loss. And reminded me that my mom had also passed away at Christmas five years earlier.
I won't go into any details about my sister. She was a private person and wouldn't want that. But not a day goes by that I don't think of her and try to deal with the sadness of our loss...
It puts our own lives, and the unknowable agenda the universe has for us, into clearer focus. Perspective. The great tragedy would be to waste the time we have for ourselves and with each other. Something Paul and Alison never had to grapple with. They were both fully engaged in their lives.
Too much personal information for a blog but there it is.
If it seems sometimes like I am wondering around aimlessly with a camera it might be because I am.
Somehow I find it comforting that my friend, Paul died with his favorite camera in his hands, photographing one of his favorite subjects (New Orleans Parades) in his favorite city...
I am so sorry to hear about your sister. So tragic. You have been carrying quite a load. That and loosing a close friend, I feel for you. It's good you have talked about it.
ReplyDeleteEric
Thanks Eric, It seems like one thing after another... drat.
DeleteI understand the sadness you have felt. My father passed away a little over a year ago - Boxing Day, 2023. My mother passed away last June. I have been dealing with the aftermath. Photography has helped me to cope. I have been getting out and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Sometimes photography is the motivator to do so. It is important that we enjoy our lives while we still can.
ReplyDeleteI guess it goes along with us getting older. Thank you for the comment and I hope you get out with your camera. It helps me a lot. It sounds like it's good for you as well. I'm sorry for your losses. Doesn't it seem that sad events come in waves?
DeleteSo sad to hear of the death of your friend, and even more that of your sister; we hold you and your family close in our thoughts at this difficult time. Kind regards, George in Spain
ReplyDeleteThank you George.
DeleteMy condolences Kirk. It sucks that as we get older we lose more and more people we love, more frequently. But a sister and a really close friend so close together... That's very painful. Thank you for sharing it with your virtual family.
ReplyDeleteSincerely, Jon
Sometimes, getting older is unpleasant.
ReplyDeleteRoger that.
DeleteMy condolences Kirk,
ReplyDeleteAs time goes by, hopefully any images you have of them will give you comfort and pleasure.
My condolences - that's rough, dealing with two close losses, but especially in such a short time.
ReplyDeleteSorry bro. thanks for sharing your loss(es). Despite the tragedies of life, global warming+, Trump, the whole world order, etc ... I try to remember all the beauty that we celebrate as photographers, and all the good there is (despite) - and be THANKFUL.
ReplyDeleteI am saddened by your loss. It is, unfortunately, a part of aging. My best friend's wife is dying from ALS, a prolonged and horrible way to go. Sudden death is a shock but I prefer it to lingering yet inevitable way of dying.
ReplyDeleteIn this last year, I've lost three friends, one of them my oldest and best friend, like a brother really. Two of them photographers and the other a successful artist. It's been 6 month since Reed died and I still think of him every day. Grief, I've found, comes in many ways and often at surprising moments, out of nowhere. I've found that if you just let it happen, it is somewhat more bearable.
ReplyDeleteMy sincere condolences, Kirk. That’s a hell of month. A fine obituary, though
ReplyDelete