The business of painting: Local artist Eric Wallis talks about art as a career
Though there are two art galleries on campus and hundreds of art majors, many students don’t know what the daily life of an artist is actually like.
“Hollywood portrays this strange person, a weirdo who works whenever he feels like it,” said local artist Eric Wallis. “I’d have to be an actor if I wanted to fit into the stereotypes. I work 10 to 12 hours a day, whether I want to or not.”
Wallis, an alumnus of Utah State University, works daily in his studio in Nibley.
“The first thing I do when I get to any studio is sit in my chair and figure out what I’m going to do that day,” Wallis said from his reclining chair, staring at a large canvas across the room.
Wallis completes around 150 paintings a year, which means he finishes one every two or three days. Stacked around the studio are dozens of paintings of women standing in fields and ponds covered in water lilies. Wallis’ paintings are sold in local galleries, and he is displaying his work in a one-man art show in Colorado next month.
“I make my living by selling a lot of paintings, not selling one painting for a lot of money,” Wallis said.
Most artists make their living the same way, Wallis said.
As for creative blocks, “It’s not difficult to be inspired to paint. When you have bills to pay, you have to do a painting,” Wallis said.
Wallis looked through a stack of photographs, and deciding on one, walked over to his blank canvas and began painting.
“I paint from models as much as possible, but I also use photos and images on my computer, or I just make things up,” Wallis said.
“A downside to art is what you put down on a canvas is what’s inside of you- you’re laying it out there for everyone to criticize and scrutinize; that’s difficult to do,” Wallis said.
At the same time, painters, as opposed to other merchants, have a “legal monopoly” on their work. No artist can do exactly what another artist does, Wallis said.
Another difference is that being a painter, “you don’t get a paycheck every two weeks,” Wallis said.
A self-employed artist is trying to run a business and still has to worry about cash flow. He has to become his own agent, Wallis said.
“The hardest thing [about being a painter] is the business end. You have to spend a lot of time doing things you don’t like to do,” Wallis said.
Nevertheless, being an artist is “really fun, all day every day,” Wallis said. “I have the ability to spend time with my family and enjoy my kids while they are still young, and they can come out to the studio and see Dad work any day of the week.”
Wallis has four children, and his wife, Valerie, helps him to keep his financial records at the studio “so I can be free to be a creative genius,” he said.