"Real" art

I felt like a real adult this past weekend. I made my first "real" art purchase. Not sure what "real" art is, but this qualifies in my definition since it cost more than $10 and didn't come from Target in a plastic frame.

I was doing some holiday shopping when I walked by an artist with his paintings on display on 3rd Ave. Long story short, two hours later, I walked away with a small size, original Jeff Tobis work. Not sure if it's really worth anything since I have no eye for art, but it just appealed to me. It appealed enough that I patiently indulged his random chatter for 2 hours in the cold. I also agreed to a few stipulations he had for his art. More or less, I need to send him some digital shots of the work. I also need to remain open to the idea that he might switch it out at some later date for another piece that will be equally as appealing to me. It was, in hindsight, an extremely odd transaction. But perhaps that's the price you pay for buying original works directly from the artist. It was very difficult for him to part with it. Or perhaps he was just a great negotiator.