If you want to be a professional artist, you need people to buy your art -- patrons. In cities without a large number of wealthy people (passing through, if not resident), there aren't many art galleries.
Artists often live in different districts or even different cities than their gallerists, but they tend to appreciate their patrons.
This may not be relevant, but the great majority of artists will never be professional. Most do their art because they love it, and if they can make some money from it, that is just frosting.
Artists often live in different districts or even different cities than their gallerists, but they tend to appreciate their patrons.