When is an artist a professional?

Looking at art:

The following great master artists were not recognized during their lifetimes and died poor. Van Gogh sold only one painting while he was alive. Johannes Vermeer left his family in debt when he died. Paul Gauguin died in poverty with no knowledge of the status he would have in art history. When you see their work in museums, do you question their professional status as artists?

Work in the Studio:

When I first started as an artist, I thought that if my art was accepted in 10 juried exhibitions, I could call myself truly professional. Later, I thought I would be considered an outstanding professional artist after ten solo exhibitions or a solo exhibition in a museum. After participating in over 150 juried exhibitions, I stopped counting. My solo exhibition at the New Britain Museum of American Art and many other solo exhibitions may be due in part to the years I have spent painting and sculpting. So when I recently told a friend I was working on a portrait commission, I was very surprised when he said, “You are a professional!” I know the comment was intended as a compliment, but I had never associated my professionalism as an artist with the money it has brought me in sales and commissions. Was I wrong about this?

Friends, Watercolor, 11” x14”