Moulton Gallery Marks 15 Years As Showcase For Lakeview Artist’s Neighborhood Paintings

LAKEVIEW — Josh Moulton moves between stacks of unfinished canvases, bins of hundreds of prints, a drafting table cluttered with reference photos and the easel in the back corner of his gallery, pulling one half-finished painting after another from a rack against the wall.

There’s a Chicago skyline commissioned for a collector in Texas, a neighborhood streetscape waiting for its finishing touches and a half-finished portrait of a gondolier stepping off his vessel in Venice, the one Moulton says he finally found the perfect vintage frame for after weeks of combing Facebook Marketplace.

On any given day, the 48-year-old painter might move between working on commissions, assisting walk-in customers, printing and packaging prints, answering emails or making a TikTok. At any given time, Moulton is working on about 20 different pieces.

Fifteen years after opening Moulton Fine Art Gallery at 2218 N. Clark St., Moulton has built something few artists manage to sustain: a full-time career selling almost exclusively his own work from a gallery he owns and operates.

At a time when making a full-time living as an artist remains elusive for many Chicago creatives, Moulton has built a business that largely bypasses the traditional gallery model. And he’s become known for his paintings of Chicago neighborhoods, restaurants, bars and landmarks.

Moulton’s success, longtime supporters say, stems as much from business savvy as artistic talent.

“He’s one of the few artists that’s actually opened his own business that’s been able to make a living without having to do something else to support himself,” said Helen Cameron, co-owner of Uncommon Ground, which has exhibited Moulton’s work since the ’90s. “He’s the only singular artist that I know that’s been able to have a storefront business for 15 years.”

Moulton’s father, Conrad Moulton, was a commercial illustrator and portrait artist who spent nearly four decades working in New York during the height of the print advertising industry. As a kid growing up outside Detroit, Moulton often painted alongside him, setting up a second easel in his father’s studio.

By his early 20s, Moulton had committed to painting full-time. He collaborated with galleries and showed his work across the country early on, but the arrangement became frustrating, with commissions often consuming half of every sale.

Rather than continuing to rely on gallery representation, Moulton took what he called the biggest risk of his career: opening Moulton Fine Art Gallery on Clark Street and selling directly to collectors. Over time, he expanded beyond original paintings by adding prints, corporate commissions and restaurant partnerships, and he started a newsletter to promote his work.

“You have to be a great painter first,” Moulton said. “You have to produce something that people want. But then you also have to be a good people person. You have to know how to market yourself. You have to get your work in front of people.”

Cameron was one of the first people to put Moulton’s work in front of people.

As the arts coordinator at Uncommon Ground, Cameron was regularly searching for artists to feature at the restaurant. Moulton stood out early.

Over the years, Cameron watched Moulton build a career that looked different from those of most artists she encountered. Many artists are talented but struggle with the business side of making a living, she said.

“Not everybody has the capacity to be good at working both sides of your brain,” Cameron said. “Creating your art, but then also having that business savvy.”

When Moulton opened his gallery, he wasn’t just responsible for creating the work: He also had to find customers, maintain relationships and make sure people actually saw what he was making. The gallery became less of a traditional showroom and more of an extension of his studio.

Customers walk in looking for paintings of favorite neighborhoods, restaurants or landmarks. Some commission a piece of a place that means something to them.

Others leave with a $20 print; offering those was an intentional decision for the studio. Moulton wanted people who loved his work but could not afford an original painting to still have a way to own some of his art.

“Not everyone can afford a painting that’s thousands of dollars,” Moulton said. “Some people might only afford $20, but I still want them to have something.”

The approach also helped Moulton reach people who might not consider themselves art collectors. A person might start with a print of their favorite bar or Chicago landmark. Years later, they might return for an original.

For Moulton, it was another way to keep his work moving beyond the walls of a traditional art gallery.

The other hat Moulton has been trying on is that of online content creator.

“I just throw stuff out there and leave it up to the viewer to see if they like it or not,” Moulton said of his TikTok videos.

Cameron said what makes Moulton’s work last is not just the technical skill but the connection people feel when they see a place they know. His paintings remind people of a favorite restaurant, a neighborhood they lived in or a moment they do not want to forget.

“He really is sort of that person who’s painting Chicago,” Cameron said. “And if you’re a lover of our city, it’s just such a joy to look at all that work.”