Do portrait artists only cater to the affluent?

[Leslie Ficcaglia]

I agree wholeheartedly. People often value their possessions based on their cost, and they tend to be much more impressed by a portrait that cost a significant amount than by one which is relatively inexpensive, even if the quality is the same. Art can be so subjective a product that price is sometimes the only way that people can judge its worth. The client I mentioned, while not declining to follow through on the commission, would have been much happier had I charged more.