Treasure Hunting Story

I went to a swap meet and was looking at some very interesting art. Now sometimes the people you meet at places like this are more interesting than the art. As I was holding the canvas up to inspect it closer, a fellow standing about a foot away started telling me about the hidden meaning of that painting.

As he continued talking, it became obvious that he was the artist of that painting. As the conversation continued I found out that he was no longer living in the U.S. but was only here for the summer. He would make his money from his art and return to Europe for 9 months and start the process all over again next year.

Then I put the painting down and began focusing more on him. He had long hair, a beard and was supporting himself upon a highly stylized cane. His clothes were unique. They appeared to be some sort of handwoven material in..now get this...bright red and royal blue with a matching hat on his head.

He was so interesting looking that I asked if I could take a photo of him. He seemed to like the idea, maybe thinking I was a roaming reporter or something. I ended up conversing with him for over an hour. Before I left he gave me his card, done by hand of course.

My treasure for that day was a new appreciation for the uniqueness of each human being and how they choose to make their way in life.

(Painting above by Greg Hangebrauck: http://www.ghangebrauck.com.)