[ReNae Stueve]

I think many of us were subjected to an older paradigm about artists, and the possibility of making a living at it.

If you research through the bio-s of most of our best loved old masters, you will find that they had benefactors and wealthy supporters...... One who worked as an artist would have needed to be born into wealth or have connection to royalty or live out the starving artist fantasy.

Our consumer based economy provides many opportunities for young people to enter the art world through advertising in one way or another. Although our well meaning but old fashioned nay-sayers are behind the times, most portrait painters can tell you....it's still one in a millions (or 1/2) art students who makes a living autonomously, through Free Lance painting.