The economic slump has spread through galleries and museums, and is now hitting individual artists who make their living selling paintings to the public. James Auer thinks that part of the problem is that most artists don’t actually buy any art themselves. “It’s very difficult to persuade someone to do something you haven’t done yourself. And that includes the act of acquiring a fairly costly artwork – and paying off the debt, if necessary, on the installment plan. Collecting fine art can be a creative act, too. Indeed, it’s the other, essential end of a vital continuum.”