Good Luck!

Mathieu Laca, Saint Étienne, 2004

Let’s be honest. Success in Art is mainly a matter of luck!

First, I go to the store to buy wood to build stretchers. I buy and pay. I go to the specialized store to buy linen (44 km back and forth). Since linen comes from Belgium, it takes six to eight weeks to get it; six or eight weeks later, I go to the specialized store to get the linen; I buy and pay (shit! How much? That’s mad!) (44 km back and forth). I build the stretcher, cut linen (carefully!) and stretch the linen; schlack schlack goes the gun-tacker. One coat of gesso; second coat of gesso; not perfect? Third coat of gesso. I wet the pigment in oil, I grind the pigment, grind the pigment, grind the pigment: tennis elbow! Myoflex. I sketch, I draw, I erase, I sketch again, I draw again. Satisfied? No! Draw, sketch, draw, sketch. Paint. One day; two days; one week; two weeks; sometimes, one month. Always standing. My back hurts. Myoflex. I sit; can’t work like that; I stand; my back hurts. Myoflex. Have to work the upper part: up the stepladder. Down the stepladder; up; down; up; down. My back hurts. Myoflex. A blink through the mirror; it’s a bit crooked. I correct. Up the stepladder; down. Put the painting higher; too high. Take it down; too low. Put it back; up the stepladder; down; up; down. My back hurts. Myoflex. The thing must dry. Put it away for a while. Trip to the drugstore to buy more Myoflex. I buy and pay.

Build a new stretcher. Schlack Schlack. Gesso. Grind. Tennis elbow. Myoflex. Paint. Up the stepladder. Dry. Put away.

Build a stretcher.

Go back to the first. Not dry. Put away. Take the second. Fuck. Take the third. Build a new stretcher. Schlack, schlack. Myoflex break.

Must advertise. I buy space in a magazine: it takes all the money I received from my last sale. Shit! I negotiate; black and white? Are you crazy? Full color, please; I sell paintings, for C….. sake! How much? Are you crazy? It takes all the money I received from my previous sale too. Shit! Hope I make the right move! On the other way, no moves, no sales.

Write a newsletter. Send a newsletter. Add names to the mailing list. Send pamphlets by mail; cost a fortune! Five of them bounce. Moved. Take photos. Let’s have fun with Photoshop. I look like shit. More photos. That’s better. Photoshop. Even better! Send photo to mailing list. Five of them bounce.

At last, the magazine is out: nice ad! Send magazines by mail to special clients. Send posters to special clients. Send wishes to special client. Send email to special client. Answer special client’s email. Love special clients!

Sale! Send painting to Germany (cost a fortune!) Sale. Send painting to Norway (cost a fortune!) Sale! Send painting to Israel (cost a fortune!). United States (not that bad after all!)

Painting is dry. Second coat. Third coat. Put away. Dry. Glaze. Put away. Dry.

Go to special store to buy special wood. (40 km back and forth). Build a frame with special wood. Cut my finger with saw! Shit! Sand special wood for frame. Breathe dust; blow the nose. Tiny drops of blood. Shit! One, two, three… seven coats of lacquer on frame made from special wood. Breathe fumes; feel funny; let’s party! Nice! Frame painting.

Build a crate; splinter in finger; take splinter out; put painting in crate; put crate in car. Monthly trip to gallery to bring crates with framed paintings. Hang paintings. Back to studio (422 km. back and forth). Pooped! Sleep for a while. Still have pieces of that fucking splinter in finger; hurts like hell! Get up; splinter out. Back to bed. Faint.

Paint for a few days. Back to the gallery for the opening (422 km. back and forth). Smile; shake hands; re-smile; sign magazines; re-re-smile. Drive back. Pooped! Go to bed; make love; mix lube with Myoflex; outch! It burns! Sleep for a while.

Thanks God it’s the weekend. Saturday: paint. Sunday: build stretcher, schlack, schlack…

Monday morning: back to work!

Let’s be honest. Success in Art is mainly a matter of luck!

Comeau