By Ben Richardson Business reporter, BBC News

Mr Holman says the sense of community draws in many artists

Nigel Holman was running a paper supply business when a sculptor friend asked if he could build a studio in some spare warehouse space in Wimbledon.

As a favour Mr Holman agreed, and decided that if he was going to create one studio, he may as well build a few and test out the market.

"The reaction was incredible," he explains, the surprise still evident 14 years after he placed an advert offering the finished units to aspiring artists tired of working at home.

"People were queuing all the way down the fire escape," Mr Holman continues, pointing to the wrought metal stairs snaking up the outside of his warehouse.

"They were shouting 'Don't give the studio to them, I was at art school with them, they are rubbish'."

Realising that there was a demand that was not being met, Mr Holman decided to go into the art studio business.

Hobby or job?

Today, the warehouse near the greyhound track in Wimbledon, south-west London, houses 130 artists in 111 studios, and is the biggest independent operator in the UK.

WIMBLEDON ART STUDIOS FACTS 25% full-time artists 50% part-time artists 25% paying hobbyists Ages range from 20 to 80 Most aged between 22 and 35 65% female 20% non-UK

Looking through the window of Mr Holman's office, you can see the wood and metal exterior of his new �2m art-studio building, which is due to be completed in September and will boost the number of studios to 163.

It is already �800,000 over budget, and Mr Holman is keen to point out that in an industry where providers are often seen as a soft touch, he is a serious businessman spending serious amounts of money.

Unlike many of his competitors, Mr Holman's Wimbledon Art Studios are not funded by state bodies such as the Arts Council.

Instead Mr Holman says he charges about a third more for the studio space than his rivals, but says he will sell more of the artists' work, making it a better deal in the long run.

"It's great being an artist if you are earning a living," he says.

"If you aren't making money then you aren't an artist, you are a waiter or a teacher with a hobby."

'A little crazy'

Walk through the corridors of bright and whitewashed studios and you get a feeling of quiet determination emanating from behind each of the numbered rooms.

Some doors have been decorated with cards and posters from the artist's gallery shows, while others have been left plain except for a cleanly lettered name.

A bit of company can help the artistic spirit, Nick Vivian says

Nick Vivian spent many years painting murals in the Middle East before returning to the UK.

He came to Wimbledon Art Studios because he was going "a little crazy" working alone at home, and was looking for the company of other artists he could turn to for advice and bounce ideas off.

A little further down the corridor and Claire Burke and Rod Billington are chatting, both professional artists who have recently gone into business together.

Ms Burke explains that commercial pressures can often impinge on the work an artist produces, especially when they first leave art school.

One of the best ways to gain the confidence needed to follow your own individual style is to sell paintings, she adds.

"I like to see my paintings sell as it validates my thinking behind them," Ms Burke says. "If they don't sell, it bothers me."

Wall hangings

The key to Mr Holman's business model are the twice-yearly open studio days, when artists invite the public to come and view their work in situ.

Every studio has a slightly different look reflecting the artist's tastes

"Other studios open to the public normally once a year for a private view for a few hours on a Friday night, and then all day Saturday and Sunday," he explains, adding that some of them only attract about 250 people.

Wimbledon Art Studios open twice a year, for four days at a time, and have in the past attracted 6,000 visitors who spent a total of �300,000 on the art on show.

"We don't advertise in art magazines because you get people who are interested in art but don't buy anything," he explains.

"There has been a boom in the middle class in areas like this and they want real art to hang on their walls."

Sink or swim

Mr Holman, who says he is dyslexic and grew up "when they just called you thick", has experience of trying to make it as an artist, and has no illusions about how harsh life can be.

A self-taught artist who sold paintings of figurative nudes with a slight S&M twist, the 51-year-old says it is in his businesses' interests to help others make it as artists.

People don't tend to become artists because of commercial gain, but they want to earn a living Nigel Holman

"I can't think of another industry where you are so left on your own," says Mr Holman.

"You leave art school, and you go out on your own, there are no customers, no training available."

In order to better prepare them for the cold world of business, artists at the Wimbledon Art Studios can sign up for seminars and workshops with titles such as Selling and Presentation, Accounts Talk and The Rise and Design of Internet Marketing.

"The studios give artists a community," Mr Holman explains. "It can be a lonely business, but here they don't feel so alone and isolated."