THE AGONY AND THE ECSTACY - A Story of Love Lost and Found
By Francie Dalton
I'm glad you weren't there.
It was painful.Remorse was visible in her eyes;soreness of spirit so permeated her story that it seemed to creep along my skin and squeeze repeatedly at my heart.I had seen her manifest hurt before, but this was a new kind of pain, and I admit to being surprised.My then 26-year-old niece had fallen in love - intensely 
so - and had forced herself to walk away.
As I listened to her tell me about it, I remember being mesmerized. I could see that she had changed somehow; as though she had crossed one of life's important thresholds and was suddenly more of a woman than she was before.
Odd - that.How, after all, could art make the viewer's very persona more robust?And yet that's exactly what happened. My niece, Julie, had become a different woman - and the catalyst was a piece of art.
While vacationing with friends, she happened across “Party of One” by Thomas Arvid.
Captivated, impassioned, and armed with a credit card, yet her parental voice prevailed in persuading her not to buy it.And so began the story that wrung anguish from us both,made worse by her having subsequently learned that the painting was sold out.
Always unwilling to take “no” for an answer and keenly aware that opportunity is resident within any painful experience, I determined then and there to restore Julie to what clearly should have been “her” painting.
A few moments on the internet revealed contact information for the Arvid Studios.
My e-mail to the “main mailbox” got an immediate and helpful response from Administrative Assistant Ashley Davis, who then became an enthusiastic co-conspirator in all that followed.
With Julie's birthday only weeks away, the search for “Party of One” on the secondary market had to be subordinated to more immediate gratification. Without much hope, but determined to try, I requested that Thomas telephone Julie during her already scheduled birthday dinner.Frankly, I was shocked when this famous man, this multi-millionaire, this assumed-to-be-reclusive, booked-out-for-years-in-advance artist agreed to do so.And I was utterly astonished when he later asked Ashley to get my address information so he could send Julie an autographed bottle of her favorite wine!It just seemed so unlikely that a celebrity would deign to do this.Thomas's unpretentiousness, his willingness to participate in the birthday of a complete stranger, just made life itself seem to shine for days.
Adding immeasurably to all the fun was the agreement of Julie's best friend, Fran Moses, to fly to Baltimore in secret to surprise Julie for her birthday.Needless to say, I could hardly STAND IT waiting for the “big night!”I felt like a kid on Christmas morning!
The birthday celebration was a fabulous success.Thomas's phone call rendered Julie incoherent with joy.And the call wasn't rushed!They must have spoken for at least 10 minutes.His graciousness and generosity of spirit were such a nice surprise.
A week or two after the birthday, I again contacted Ashley to learn how I might acquire “Party of One” on the secondary market.She extended herself on my behalf to do the necessary research, and then put me in touch with PJ, owner of Piccadilly's Fine Art Galleries in Cleveland, Ohio.He would soon be hosting an unprecedented 3-day showing of Thomas's works, and one of the pieces on display - and available for sale - was “Party of One.”Not only would it be possible to reunite Julie with her beloved painting, but she would also be able to meet Thomas at PJ's private party event.
I phoned Julie and, without providing a single detail, convinced her to reserve the relevant dates on her busy calendar.Until the moment that the limo deposited her at PJ's gallery, she knew nothing of what was in store for her.PJ was a superb co-conspirator!He helped me secure all the necessary accommodations for Julie's trip to Ohio, and took such delight in participating in the surprise that he seemed like part of the family.Not knowing that it had already been purchased for her, Julie begged PJ to somehow find another “Party of One.”PJ managed to keep his composure and told her with great sadness in his voice that it “simply wouldn't be possible.”Only at the end of the evening was she presented with my note, explaining that the painting was hers at last, and that PJ would be shipping the beautifully framed work to her the following week.
Behind the scenes, and unbeknownst to me was yet another co-conspirator:Rob Preiditsch.He briefed Thomas, enabling him to recognize Julie upon her arrival.Can you just imagine how that made her feel?In a masterful handling of precious moments, Rob was also thoughtful enough to call me that evening, and hand the phone to Julie seconds after she was presented with “Party of One.”He even commandeered events at the party such that I, too, got the chance to talk with Thomas.
It really is SUCH fun to surprise your loved ones - and it's even more fun when others collaborate with you, sharing your joy as if it were their own.In this case, a group of complete strangers voluntarily and enthusiastically worked hard to ensure the success of these surprises, bringing them off with pizzazz and panache far surpassing any reasonable expectation.In so doing, they've all become part of Julie's most treasured experiences, and are immortalized in our memories forever.