The CBC has a two short documentaries (together they run about 30 minutes) on Canadian artist William Fisk’s struggle to break out as a painter. The first, published on YouTube a year and a half ago, introduces us to the painter as he deals with interest from a gallery in New York and the panicked jealousy of his Toronto dealer who abruptly drops him after six years together.

Fisk explains the painstaking photorealist work he does and his struggles to succeed as an artist given the limited market for his work, its high value and his low output.

In the second short documentary, published on YouTube a few days ago, we follow Fisk as he prepares work for his New York gallery show, the opening, a visit from an art critic and hear the final report on sales. Fisk has built in a great deal of tension simply by having taken an second mortgage on his Toronto home to provide enough for his family’s living expenses. Even if the New York show reaches his wildest expectations, it still won’t cover the loans he’s taken.

A brutally frank look at the struggle and stakes at play among the many talented but not-yet-established artists at work today.