[John de la Vega]

Yes, Tarique, the income potential of a good portrait painter is as great as any of the professions you mention. When a portrait painter produces works of quality at any level of 'stylistic appeal', he or she can may a very handsome living. There are portrait painters I know that make well over a million dollars a year (I am certainly not one of them, I hasten to add), and there are some of us who barely get by. The factors you mention, plus others such as ability to reach the right clientele through social or business contacts, working with a portrait broker or brokers who really believe in your work, etc, will make the difference between success, failure, or simply getting by.

Ultimately, of course, the quality (without overlooking the 'quantity') and consistency of the work you can produce with be the ultimate factors determining not just financial success, but prominence, recognition, and influence in our exciting field of portrait painting.