One introduction leads to another; that’s how I have been tracking down outsider artists in Canada. Pierre Racine (see earlier blog) suggested that I talk with Luc Guérard in Montreal, Quebec. I discovered a treasure-trove of art on Luc’s Facebook page. There is not much that Luc does not do: his paintings and assemblages are amazing.
I had fun talking with Luc. He talks like his paintings look – he is bursting with ideas and you can almost see them bouncing along the telephone line. He has two passions: his son and his art. Luc talks a lot about his disabled adult son. He is proud of his accomplishments and obviously enjoys their time together. You will see his son’s drawings on Luc’s Facebook page. He likes to focus on one object, like a truck, and draw it over and over and over again, filling the page with overlapping, beautiful patterns. It’s not hard to see Luc’s influence – like father, like son?
Luc is in his 60s and has been painting and drawing since he was a child. He was accepted into art school in 1968, but his father didn’t want him to go. Instead, he taught himself how to be an artist. He has explored many media, like painting, assemblage, and wood sculpture. He also wrote a novel, which seemed to be a good place for his imagination to take flight. The novel is a satire, he says, where the main character goes on wild adventures. From seeing his art, I was not surprised to learn that objects in the novel transform and morph into new things – the world is not what it appears to be. Sadly, publishers rejected his work as “kitchen writing” and were flat-out insulting to him. My impression is that Luc shrugged off their insults and carries on, regardless. (Good on you, Luc!)
As with most artists I meet, Luc has given up on having his artwork accepted by galleries and continues to work (prolifically) on his own. He sells directly from his home and has come up with a unique way to price his art: $1 per square inch. I can see gallerists rolling their eyes upon hearing his pricing strategy. But, having been around the art scene for many years, it’s as good a system as any, in my opinion.
Check out Luc’s work – you’ll be delighted.