The e-mail query was direct, but the phrasing was careless: "I'm working on an article on making a living as an artist ... ," it began.
The response from writer Maureen Wallner came within half an hour: "Making a living," she wrote. "That's funny. If we count fulfillment, I'm a wealthy lady."
Less sarcastically, photographer Jack Wilhoit said: "I don't know any artist ... who is making a living selling their own art."