By Jim Cline

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB) -- A recent survey in the state determined that most artists are having a difficult time making a living.  Most artists consider themselves part-time artists because they need income from other sources. 

"It's certainly a difficult time for a lot of artists" says Richard Michelson, "I'm certainly pleased that we're not just starting in the business now."  Michelson says his first gallery was eight-by-16 feet.  Three moves and almost 30 years later, he's in an old bank building on Northampton's Main Street.  

And the R. Michelson Gallery is doing well. 

"When we were starting out," he says, "most of our artists were young.  Their work was very inexpensive and we grew along with them." 

Most of the artists exhibited in the gallery are now nationally known, and have a following.  They're in the upper one per cent of artists.  They're the ones making money. 

"The last three years have been very good years in terms of everything, in terms of sales,." says Rebecca Guay, "I haven't noticed any dip in art sales on my business." 

Rebecca says she's fortunate.  She diversified.  

"I make my money selling art, the paintings, that's a good size portion of my income.  The other side," she says, "is doing the work, paintings, for publishing." 

She does illustrations for children's books, graphic novels and book covers. She sells the reproduction rights of the art and then gets it back and resells it at the gallery.

Guay says she also runs a boot camp for artists from all over the world. She shows them why artists succeed and what makes them different.  

"There are so many ways to make your dream come to fruition and I feel like to be clever about them is your challenge if you're going to be a freelance person.