Jack Vettriano is the UK’s most popular artist, something of a Scottish Thomas Kinkade. But he got a late start on his career, as the Independent quotes him:

It wasn’t until my wife and I separated, when I was 39, that I started painting full time. Before that, we were trapped in a rather difficult position, like a lot of people, struggling to pay the mortgage and also paying school fees for my wife’s child. We could just afford to go out once a month if we were lucky. Once I was on my own, I began painting as a full-time career and within a year I was making three or four times what I had ever dreamed imaginable. Soon I had several galleries keen to represent me, and the press were also starting to show interest.

At Home with Jack Vettriano (The Independent)