“Excuse me, but I’d like to buy one of the paintings you have on display.”

Hearing the voice behind her, the young lady turned to see who had made the request and was left speechless by the beautiful young dark curly haired woman before her. Instantly she felt a spark with this person before her, but how could that be? This was a stranger, someone she had never met before, why did she have this sudden tingling inside.

Not hearing a response, Angie thought maybe, the woman who just continued to stare at her, didn’t speak English, so she asked “Do you speak English?”

Still no response…..just what appeared to be a scared, confused look on the young woman’s face. Suddenly coming to her senses, the woman apologized for her rudeness, and responded with a distinctly American voice “sorry, yes, yes I speak English, I don’t know what came over me just now. Can I help you with something?”

Angie was now the one not sure what to say. This woman was simply stunning. Late twenties, light brown hair and beautiful dark brown eyes. Realizing the woman was now waiting for a response, Angie quickly regained her composure and inquired as to the availability of the painting. “Yes, I was wondering how much you would like for that painting.” She inquired pointing to the one in question.

The young lady looked to where Angie was pointing and quickly responded that she was sorry, but it was not for sale.

Not one to usually accept no for an answer, Angie tried again “What do you mean it’s not for sale? Has someone else already commissioned it?”

Not fully understanding the persistence of the woman before her, the artist responded
“No, I don’t sell what I paint, it’s more of a personal thing for me. I like to paint, but I never sell my work. Some I display in my home, or give to friends as gifts, but most just end up in the back of a closet at home.”

Not understanding how someone with an obvious talent such as the one this woman possessed would not be anxious to sell one of their pieces of work, Angie took a minute to gather her thoughts on how to approach this in a different way. After all, she had dealt with stubborn artists before, and she was well schooled in speaking their language.