Last weekend, I visited  a well – known Lifestyle Centre close to where I stay.  The displays in the nursery and gift shop are always uplifting: beautifully and tastefully done.

There I spotted a painting that spoke to me.

It told me two things.  The painting whispered suggestively that it would be good for me to have it, and the the tag stuck behind the frame told me that the joy of owning the piece of art would come at a price …

I had a good look at it and took down the name of the artist. I thought that I would look her up and see if I could find a similar painting for a more reasonable price that I could frame myself.

My Googling revealed that the artist, Margie Kaufman, lives in Johannesburg and gives art classes at a local gallery in the West Rand.

The painting’s conversation with me about how good it would be if said painting was hanging in my home lasted all week. Yesterday, I took a trip out to the Lifestyle Centre to see if the painting was still there.  Indeed it was  –  same place and same message.

I thought that the rustic pressed ceiling frame might be a bit overpriced and asked Thandi, the friendly sales assistant, if I could buy the painting  separately and sans frame. She looked very doubtful and said that they came together – painting and frame. But that she would ask the manager.

I waited as Johan, the Disinterested, trundled along in response to the PA request for him to report to the till.

In response to my request, he authoritatively replied, that it wasn’t possible to separate frame and painting, because – wait for it – they were imported as a set!!

He stuck to his story – even when I told him that it was a local artist.

Silly me to even reason with a manager of a centre about the merchandise on his showroom floor – reason doesn’t come into it, after all …

Well that sealed it.

The painting and frame had to be airlifted to safety.

Far from the maddening retail staff and into the safe haven of my home. Mission accomplished.

In my next post, I’ll write about the very different retail experience I had in a little dorpie (village) called Wakkerstroom. Strangely enough, also to do with a talking painting …