Another possibility: artists may now find it more profitable to sell commissions directly than work on art show pieces. Conventions helped to bring buyer and seller together, but with everyone on the Internet they may be less necessary for this purpose - and a guaranteed $Y may be better than the chance of 2 x $Y, especially now.
Another possibility: artists may now find it more profitable to sell commissions directly than work on art show pieces. Conventions helped to bring buyer and seller together, but with everyone on the Internet they may be less necessary for this purpose - and a guaranteed $Y may be better than the chance of 2 x $Y, especially now.