The Cost Of Being an Artist

Excerpt from an arts forum, this question was asked:

What does it cost to be an artist?

I am blown away that anyone even tried to answer this. This question is akin to what does it cost to live, or how much does a car cost. If I drive a Honda Civic and you drive a Hummer H-2 how is the answer correlative?

This is a question that only you can answer. You add all the material cost, studio cost (if in your home divide the sq. footage of your home by the footprint sq. footage of you studio and include that portion of your utilities), the cost of your time (what could you do to earn instead) and the employment cost of these funds (what could have been earned by employing these funds else where) and then you have your answer.

Really though who amongst us creates for the money?

I would work at Mickey D’s flipping burgers hopefully working up to French fry manager in order to afford my supplies. I consider myself truly blessed and supremely lucky to find myself making a living as a painter!

Let me add this; it’s extremely hard work. Lest anyone think it’s easy, I work 60-80 hours a week. I love it but it’s not easy. I’m not complaining just pointing this out. I usually get up at 4:30 and that’s AM. I work then rarely don’t have a lunch to promote my work, then I come back and work some more, then I write and work the phones, always pushing, I go on gallery tours and I am constantly traveling all in the name of work. I go to openings of friend’s art; I work with arts foundations and civic groups. I write for arts sections and contribute time, my work and money to various causes all to keep myself in front of folks for the sake of my stuff. There’s always a fund raiser or auction or arts community meeting to occupy my evenings. Sometimes I don’t get home till well past midnight. And my God I love it! But it is hard work. This takes dedication and the thick skin and guts to take all the critic, frustration and rejection that go with it. Just this morning I got an email that states “you are a joke”, I have had mail saying “your work is a disgrace, so are you and I hope you die slowly and in immense pain”. Yet I happily accept that some or most people won’t like my work, and I continue to toil away. It is so easy to be crushed and just give up. I have other business interest; they make me money, which is the goal. I don’t need this for the money, I need it for life, and without it I would be empty! I would be a dead vessel, floating without anchor, without destination. Painting for me is as natural as breathing. I don’t do this for money, I don’t do it for creations sake, I don’t do it for a living, I do it for fulfillment and balance, and this is the meaning of my life.

I am sorry to be so melodramatic, but I am being honest. If I were to never sell another work I still would work. Really though isn’t this true of all of us?

Latest Press

Photo by Dante Fontana

The Arts

From the December 2008 issue

Master of Acrylics
Jerry Lipp

by LeeAnn Dickson


The ancient Roman philosopher Cicero once said, “The most valuable of arts, is the art of living.” That is the best way to explain how Rocklin artist Jerry Lipp enjoys his life – he lives it to its fullest. “I am truly blessed to be able to make my living doing what I love,” Lipp says.

Between being a CEO of a local multi media advertising firm and putting in more than 60 hours a week painting, he shows an obsession for creating. “Even if I didn’t make good money in my profession,” Jerry says, “I’d be working at McDonald’s to buy materials to paint.”

He studied under and has been influenced by many local and international artists. However, he credits his grandmothers, both accomplished painters, for teaching him the basics and seeding his passion. “They tried teaching me to paint with oils,” Lipp recalls. “What six year-old kid can wait for oils to dry?” They both switched to quick drying acrylics as their media and so did Jerry. “Once they starting using acrylics,” he confesses, “I used to ‘borrow’ their supplies.”

In his painting he works with texture and lots of color. He aspires to paint women in abstract without offending or objecting them. “The female form is the essence of the piece,” Lipp says, “not the object.” His inspired process to complete each painting takes about three to four weeks. “To me, painting is like breathing…I spend most of my time painting.” And, after spending the better part of a month completing pieces of his work, according to Lipp it is hard to part with them. “To me,” Lipp admits, “selling a painting is like selling my kid.”

His personal vision, seen in his work, conveys a specific emotion of each of his subjects. He is quick to categorize himself as a painter and not an artist. “I am a painter of paintings,” he explains, “I’m not in a position to criticize my own work…that’s up to the viewer.”

This creative, dynamic man is also humble. As an accomplished businessman in all his endeavors, he knows the importance of surrounding himself with good people. “We are here for each other,” Lipp says. “Everyone in my life leaves me a better person.”

Part of Kallie Cabrera’s job as an executive administrator working for Jerry Lipp is to make sure he has everything he needs to give him more time to paint. “It’s been an incredible experience learning and growing both with him and in the art,” Cabrera says. “His work is tremendous and I love being part of his creative process.”

Noel Flynn, fellow artist and owner of Noel Flynn Gallery, works with Lipp to transform loose canvases into framed gallery-wrapped works of art. “Jerry’s depiction of the female,” Flynn says, “skillfully blends the outer fringes of reality together with the rudimentary abstraction of color and form.”

Lipp works hard creating everyday. He believes that your mindset drives you. “It is up to you,” he says, “if you are successful or not.”