The Power of Follow-up (and Synchronicity)

In early May some good clients Paul and Susan M. were back in town from Seattle looking for more art for their new Scottsdale condo. During this visit to Xanadu, they both zeroed in on some new Dave Newman pieces, and also discovered the sculpture of Lorri Acott. In particular, they fell in love with Lorri’s iconic creation “A Conversation With Myself.”

At that time, we had two 16″ aluminum editions of the piece as well as a 9″ Raku “Conversation.” In the course of our conversation, I mentioned that the three-foot bronze version of the piece has been featured regularly on the popular TV show “House” in one of the main characters’ offices. Although the show is a favorite of the clients, they hadn’t noticed the sculpture on the set but vowed to look for it. When they learned that the sculpture was available in that larger size, Mr. & Mrs. M. told me they have a niche in the condo here for which they were looking for something wonderful “Conversation” might be the perfect fit.

When they left the gallery, I immediately checked with the artist to find out the availability of the 31″ bronze. As luck (or synchronicity) would have it, a city in California was preparing to return one of the sculptures that size to Lorri after exhibiting it in a public art program. Lorri made arrangements for them to ship it directly to Xanadu.

The sculpture arrived at Xanadu last Tuesday. As soon as we unpacked it, I called the client to let him know that a 31″ “Conversation” had arrived. Paul chuckled and told me that Susan was flying to Scottsdale for a very short, two-day stay and would arrive late Wednesday. He asked me to put a hold on it, and asked if we could bring it to the condo so Susan could see it while she was in town.

Thursday morning when I arrived at the gallery, I noticed that Susan had tried to call the evening before (after the gallery had closed.) When I returned her call, we set an appointment for 11:00 that morning to bring the piece out for her to see in her space. Before our conversation ended, I asked if she would also like us to bring the Dave Newman cactus piece they both liked during their last visit to the gallery, since we were coming anyway. She agreed, and we loaded the van with the two artworks.

Both the Acott bronze and the Newman collage are fantastic in Mr. & Mrs. M.’s home. As we admired both installations, Susan shared a story that further underscored the synchronicity of their connection with the art..

She had just returned from a wonderful retreat at a spa in Mexico that provides typical spa services as well as spiritual renewal activities. While there, she kept thinking about the Lorri Acott sculpture “A Conversation With Myself” and the wonderful message it communicated to both her and Paul when they visited Xanadu. On her way home, she called her husband and told him she wanted to purchase the sculpture. To her delight, Paul explained that he had just gotten off the phone with me and that the sculpture would be waiting for her when she got to Scottsdale.

That evening when she came to purchase the two artworks, she also decided to acquire one of the 16″ aluminum “Conversation” editions as well as the little Raku version. We bubble-wrapped them for her to take on the plane back to their home in Seattle.

One of the absolute joys of my life is having the opportunity to help collectors acquire art that speaks to them and enriches their lives on so many levels as these collectors connected with the sculptures and collage last week.