Portrait of an Artist

Portrait of an Artist
by ReadWorks

Phong Chung* has been a painter since age five. He was born in Vietnam, a country in
Southeast Asia. He moved to New York in his teens and went to college at the Art Institute of
Philadelphia. He now works as the publisher of a magazine in Brooklyn, New York. In all this
time, he has done one thing every day: paint.

"I've always loved to paint," Chung says. "It relaxes me. It gives my life a sense of meaning. I
don't know why, but I enjoy putting colors and shapes onto large pieces of canvas."

"To some people, it seems strange," he adds. "To me, it seems perfectly natural."

Chung's parents worked regular jobs. His uncle, however, took an interest in the arts. When
Chung was little, his uncle read him books out loud. He encouraged Chung to live a creative
life and to build his imagination. He gave Chung comic books to read and took him to
museums. It was because of his uncle, Chung says, that he became a painter.

But painting for a living is hard. Chung realized this when he moved back to New York after
graduating from college. He rented a cheap studio and painted all day. But no one wanted to
buy his paintings.

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 Portrait of an Artist

To make money, he found a job as a construction worker. He built walls in people's

apartments. He installed wood floors in clothing stores. At times, he even painted houses. It
was not the same as painting pictures. But he liked working with paint all the same.

"The more time I could spend with paint, the better," he says with a laugh.

When he finished work for the day at 5 p.m., Chung returned to his studio in Brooklyn. After
eating dinner, he often painted until 2 or 3 in the morning. He often got only a few hours of
sleep a night. Yet he was never tired during the day.

Most people need between seven and eight hours of sleep each night. I asked how he
managed to stay awake after getting only three or four hours of sleep.

"For me, painting was sort of like sleeping," he says. "After I paint, I feel rested. I feel relaxed.
It's as if I just took a long nap. Even though I move around a lot when I paint, I don't feel tired.
Because I enjoy painting so much, it doesn't feel like work."

He compared himself to the famous poet named William Carlos Williams, who also worked as
a doctor in New Jersey. Williams considered himself a poet first, a doctor second. But he
claimed that treating patients left him feeling relaxed and rested. He liked it so much that it
never felt like work.

"William Carlos Williams would deliver a baby in the middle of the night, and come back home
and write poems," Chung says. "He said that being a doctor calmed him, and he did not need
much sleep because of it."

Still, working as a construction worker was not easy. After a few years, Chung began to look
for another job, one that required less physical activity. He loved spending time with other
artists and talking with them about their work. By the time he was 30, he knew hundreds of
other artists in New York.

One day, a group of his artist friends told him they were starting an art magazine. The
magazine would feature interviews with other artists and articles about art shows happening
in the city. They asked if he would like to help them put it out every month.

Chung was overjoyed. By working for an art magazine, he could spend all day learning about
art. He could talk to artists about their paintings, sculptures, films and performances. It
seemed like the perfect job.

Today, Chung is the publisher of the magazine. That means he makes sure the magazine
comes out every month. He checks in with the editors, the writers and the people who deliver
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 Portrait of an Artist

the magazine to locations across the city. He also makes sure the magazine makes enough
money to keep making new issues.

Every issue of the magazine includes a long interview with Chung and another artist. Chung
asks the artist all about their lives. "Who are your heroes?" he asks. "How do you find the time
to paint?"

"Being an artist myself, I'm curious to hear what other artists say about the job," Chung says.
"Talking with other artists can be as much fun as making art."

*Mr. Chung's real name has been changed in this story.

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 Portrait of an Artist - Comprehension Questions

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What does Phong Chung do every day?
A. He studies.
B. He writes.
C. He paints.
D. He cooks.

2. This passage describes a sequence of events in the life of Phong Chung. Which
event is part of the sequence of Phong Chung's life?
A. He moved from Vietnam to New York while in his teens.
B. He worked at a restaurant to make money in New York.
C. He considered pursuing a career as a doctor in New Jersey.
D. He became a social studies teacher at a school in Philadelphia.

3. Phong Chung is a hard-working man. What evidence from the text best supports this
conclusion?
A. Chung used to work as construction worker during the day to make money. Then, he
would go back to his studio and paint until 2 or 3 in the morning.
B. When Chung was little, his uncle read him books out loud. He encouraged Chung to
live a creative life and to build his imagination.
C. Chung loved spending time with other artists and talking with them about their work.
By the time he was 30, he knew hundreds of other artists in New York.
D. Chung moved to New York in his teens and went to college at the Art Institute of
Philadelphia. He now works as the publisher of a magazine in Brooklyn, New York.

4. In the passage, Phong Chung compares himself to the poet William Carlos Williams.
Why does Chung believe that they are similar?
A. Like Chung, Williams only enjoyed the artistic work that he did.
B. Like Chung, Williams spent his life pursuing his love for painting.
C. Like Chung, Williams worked in construction to earn money.
D. Like Chung, Williams enjoyed his work so much that it didn't feel like work.

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 Portrait of an Artist - Comprehension Questions

5. What is this passage mainly about?

A. the experiences of Vietnamese immigrants in America
B. the difficulties all artists face when they move to New York
C. the story of one person who tries hard to live a creative life
D. the daily routines of art magazine publishers in New York

6. Read the following sentences: "Most people need between seven and eight hours of
sleep each night. I asked how he managed to stay awake after getting only three or four
hours of sleep."

As used in the passage, would does the word "managed" most nearly mean?

A. was controlling
B. was able to
C. was in charge of
D. was likely to fail

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Chung was a construction worker ______ he became the publisher of an art magazine.

A. after
B. before
C. including
D. because

8. Chung enjoys interacting with other artists and learning about what they do.

What evidence from the text supports this conclusion?

9. Describe Chung's job as the publisher of an art magazine.

10. Explain whether Chung is likely to continue working as a publisher. Use evidence
from the text to support your answer.

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