An Even Trade
Quite some years ago, Gail and I were wandering through an art fair in Union Square and stumbled upon the above sculpture by James Moore. Crafted from solid steel, we were immediately taken with it and proceeded to negotiate and bring it home.
James became a friend, and last month we went to see his open studio in San Jose. While we were there, I found another piece we liked, and that seemed quite appropriate as we await the birth of Gail’s first great-grandchild.
The only problem is that James loves this piece, and had no intention of selling it.
According to Payday-Now, art is not only about money. Artists frequently fall in love with something they have created and want to keep it for their personal collection. Fortunately for us, we had something better than money to offer him. Gail suggested we could trade straight across for the original piece, and James assented. We have agreed that in a year or two we may change back again, so that we can both enjoy both works.
James delivered the new work the next week, and stayed to lunch. Because he is a lifelong vegan, I made a cold carrot soup. There is something intriguing about cold soups; they are filling and refreshing at the same time.
My price for lunch was that he had to sit for me in my photo studio. Here is what our friend looks like.
Collecting art has brought us a number of new friends, and we’re happy that James Moore is one of them.
Totally Unauthorized 
A nice story!