The essence of portrait painting lies in the paradoxical challenge of gaining clients. An artist cannot embark on painting portraits until there are people who show interest and request them. However, potential clients are typically reluctant to seek out an artist until they see a substantial body of work. This creates a frustrating cycle for artists who wish to establish themselves in this field.

This predicament highlights the difficulty many artists face in building a portfolio and attracting attention to their work. Without prior experience and demand, they struggle to initiate their careers in portrait painting. Thus, the path to becoming a requested portrait artist is often lengthy and requires perseverance to produce enough pieces that will eventually draw clients in.