COLLECTOR PROFILE Meet

Shannon & Candace bbott

A work of art is not only intrinsically beautiful in and of

itself, but the story of how and why a piece of art came into a

collector’s life can be just as beautiful.

For Shannon and Candace Abbott, one of the pieces they’ve most recently acquired holds a special significance to them.

In October of last year, Shannon started thinking about something special he could do to celebrate he and his wife’s first wedding anniversary. Soon thereafter, Shannon walked in to Exclusive Collections Gallery and began chatting with one of the art

At first, Shannon simply wanted to commission a custom base from Lotz for “How Koi” and “Blow fish Blow” to be mounted on. However, his plan quickly started becoming more elaborate, and the finished product included a mermaid representing his wife, a seahorse representing him, two fish representing his stepsons, and Lotz’s piece “Key to my Heart” representing the baby Shannon and Candace had together who had, as Shannon described it, “stolen the key to [their] hearts.” All of the pieces were mounted together on a custom base of black marble, inscribed with words written by Lotz.

consultants on staff. As Shannon began talking about his family and sharing pictures of his newborn, he mentioned that he and his wife had been in the gallery previously and had been taken by “How Koi” and “Blow fish Blow,” two pieces from the Aquatic Series by the artist Paul Lotz.

For the Abbotts, this piece of art is not only an aesthetic work of beauty, but also a physical manifestation of the love and dedication they have to each other and their family that can be cherished and enjoyed for a lifetime.

“Long ago in a far away sea, a seahorse and mermaid came to be, The closest of friends searching for more, seeking adventure to explore. They found the blue seas of Oceanside, where dreams abound that no one can hide. There formed a love so unexpected between this pair. So undetected. The love they found within each other made and them a proud father and mother. A maverick he was, right from the start. He’d always hold the key to their heart. Two guardians she had from far away, brought with them love to share every day. Five souls as one, a family anew.

Who would have thought that dreams could come true? Dedicated to: Candace, Shannon, Maverick, Luke & Noah”

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OFF THE EASEL MAGAZINE – SUMMER 2016

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