THE ART OF STRUGGLE

Peter Summers has worked as an artist for over 20 years. While his sales in the past have allowed him to go overseas or cover his materials for a full year, this hasn’t been the case in recent years. “I’m most likely at a loss” he says, “It is a real struggle for most painters.”

​

Galleries often take a 50% commission, and then there is the cost of materials used in creating the piece. Peter says “[you’re] lucky to come out with 10%”. When a gallery isn’t taking a commission, the artist is can be paying around $500 - $2000 to exhibit. He states how “artists are out of pocket in all aspects” and can be “a little screwed over, [because] everybody loves your work but doesn’t want to pay for it”.

​

We talk of what he would have done if he wasn’t an artist. “If I wasn’t an artist I would be a policeman, but I don’t think the fall back was ever there. I tried not to create a fall back. If you don’t have the safety net, then you’ve got to make it happen somehow”.

Peter recalls his fist lecture at university. The lecturer got up and said “there are 50 students here, two of you will actually be lucky to make a career of being an artist”. Whilst this is a harsh statement it is realistic.

Peter explains how the only time he has been able to work as a fulltime artist has been when his wife, Yiwen, has supported him. At all other times he has either worked another fulltime or part time job. Over the years Peter has worked as a brickies laborer and a security guard. Working as a security guard was good as he would work Friday, Saturday and Sunday, make enough money to cover things and be able to be in the studio four days a week. While Peter enjoyed the security work, he said “you get older [and] you don’t want to deal with idiots”.

​

Peter currently works as the studio manager at Redbox Studios where he also paints. He says he is fortunate to be studio manager as it means he is at least in the studio space, but feels that he is “a studio manager and part time burglar, trying to steal some time in the studio to actually do some painting”. Unfortunately, many artists in the studio find themselves in similar situations. In fact, of the 35 Artists in the upstairs section at the studio only two work as fulltime artists.

​

“That’s the good thing about being in the studio”, He says, “there is a sense of community” and it “can motivate you [because] everybody is in the same boat and there is support”. While it can be a struggle to make ends meet, peter enjoys what he does. At one point he states “What’s successful? Is success making big sales, making critically acclaimed work, being well recognized by peers or is success actually just getting to the studio”.