In the Court Painter studio, commissioned works have taken centre stage, despite thirteen years of unprofitable endurance sustained by relentless patience with often irascible clients. These commissions are meant to generate a substantial share of revenue, supplemented by the Court Painter’s public appearances at prestigious gallery openings, local dive bars, and art fairs. They carry the glamour, identity, and sense of purpose—and prestige—that accompany any transaction with the Court Painter brand. The potential commissioned sales draw in both the little people and the notable—celebrities, politicians—shaping the Court Painter’s self aggrandizing narratives and offering clients the promise of furthering their reputation with a pictorial treasure. Yet this unstable sales enterprise remains unpredictable, tied to taste, timing, degrees of corruption, cruelty, cupidity, avarice, greed, war-mongering, and social media presence of the subjects; their ability to pay and respond to constant invoice reminders as well as the ever-shifting moods of the art market.
Accordingly, another business plan has become necessary to steer the Court Painter juggernaut toward the elusive break-even point.
Framing—yes, a framing shop—emerges as a steady monetary income stream. It could account for a significant portion if not all of the CP enterprise’s revenue and is far more reliable. Clients return for it; margins are stronger; and frames are less vulnerable to the bane of painterly cultural whims. In studio operations where framing is monetized the balance sheet looks rosy and with framing as the primary source of income, the art sales properly assume a supporting role.
What emerges is a kind of dual economy: unpaid or speculative art commissions provide visibility and intermittent bursts of notoriety, while framing quietly sustains the operation day to day. Even with modest earnings , framing will contribute disproportionately—if not entirely—to the Court Painter’s profit. In practical terms, it is this dependable artisan craft behind the scenes that promises to keep the studio doors open and the studio bar stocked while the art on the easel continues to carry ambition, aspiration and a continuing commitment to the service of humanity through art.
