by Jeff Buell

With a young son to support and bills to pay, Donna Estabrooks approaches her artwork as a business, employing methods she learned from her years, hand- painting clothes.

Estabrooks has married business savvy with fine artistry - and seems to have found a formula that makes it possible for her to live her dream.

Some painters may spend a year working on a single piece. To make a living, reasons Estabrooks, that artist must then sell the piece for what equates to an annual salary, pricing the work out of reach for most would-be art buyers.

Estabrooks tries to finish a painting a day. Last year, she said, she produced about 350 works of art. She estimates that it will take about three years for that body of work to sell, and the paintings will draw prices of $25 to $2,000, depending on their size. She also does commission work upon request.

By keeping her production high, Estabrooks can keep her prices low.

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor of fine arts degree, she spent nine years teaching part- time at the university as an artist in residence. On the side, Estabrooks began making hand- painted children's clothing, an endeavor that eventually enabled her to put $40,000 in her savings account.

She even treated herself at the time to a brand-new, 1989 Toyota Corolla.

But, as they often do, things happened. The job description for her teaching position changed, leaving her suddenly unqualified. And the clothing catalog business to which she supplied hand- painted children's wear filed for bankruptcy. She says she never saw $10,000 the company owed her.

If things weren't going badly enough for Estabrooks as the 1990s began, she developed a reaction to the chemicals she used in making the hand-painted clothes that left her with eczema from head to toe.

Estabrooks gave up her business and began a search for a teaching job. She was sending out 35 to 40 resumes a week, and found herself devoting almost all of her time to her job hunt, and little or none to her art.

Suddenly it dawned on Estabrooks that if she spent that much time producing art, she might just be able to make a living at it.

With what remained of her nest egg, Estabrooks started up her studio at 30 North Maple St. in Florence and has been creating, and selling, her art ever since.

Estabrooks said she does things backwards as far as approaching art goes. Before she even begins a painting, she cuts in mass quantities the mats that will frame the work. This practice not only brings the efficiency of mass production to bear on her art, but it also forces her to paint works that are a predetermined size, which will fit into standard picture frames.

The practice, said Estabrooks, means she spends less of her time framing, and more of it painting.

Estabrooks also teaches a creativity class to students of all ages every Saturday. At $12 per student, the class supplements her income. But her purpose in offering the class, she said, isn't strictly motivated by financial concerns.

"Mostly it's to keep my work fresh," she said.

Estabrooks isn't wealthy: She still drives the Toyota she bought back in '89. Nor has she drawn world renown.

But she suspects she's pretty well-known in Northampton, and her work hangs in galleries throughout New England.

She could probably make more money as an artist in New York, but she said she's not likely to leave the area.

Here, Estabrooks said she finds a community that is supportive of the arts. That support isn't confined to the many art galleries. Local businesses, like Bart's Homemade, also exhibit her work, also a wide audience is exposed to her art.

And people in Northampton tend to buy art, whereas those in other communities may be content to look at it.

Estabrooks has another reason for staying put.

"I love Northampton," she said. "It would be best to live where you love."

Estabrooks said she subsists on about 25 percent of the income she had while teaching and painting clothes.

"But I'm 100 times happier," she said. "This is my dream job."

The fact that she is able to make ends meet and stay out of debt as a fine artist satisfies her, and she hopes her relative success inspires other struggling artists.

"Don't believe people who say you can't make a living as an artist," she said.