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That is so true about galleries, Peter. But of course they are interested in selling work, and if we artists want to make a living at painting, we have to pay attention to these things. (Sometimes, though , it can become stifling when an artist becomes known for a certain kind of work, due to the efforts of the gallery to promote the artist as painting a certain kind of subject.) I feel that gallery owners are giving me valuable information: they are telling me what people like. The people who buy art range from art consultants buying for corporations to wealthy, knowledgeable collectors to not-so-wealthy but equally knowledgeable collectors to people who come in off the street knowing little about art but wanting to become more educated. All these people love art, and I firmly believe that the visual appeal of a painting is of utmost importance. I've struggled for years to understand what makes some paintings more appealing than others. The whole subject fascinates me.
Portrait clients on the other hand do not always know about art, and some may not even care about art. So in that way, it's a different situation. Sometimes, though, I get clients who appreciate good art, or are even artists themselves.
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