The Wealthy Painter I once had a friend who was a very successful painter, and from this talent he gained quite a sum of money over the years that would keep him financially stable for the rest of his life. One day, he decided to vanish from not only the art world but his social life as well. 9 years later, I saw him at a coffee shop we used to frequent when we were younger. After catching up with him for a few, I got to asking him one of the questions that was ringing in my head for years. ""Why on earth did you quit painting?"" To which he simply said ""hey man, more Monet, more problems"".