- Lori McNee Artist

Friday the 13th – Good Luck for Art?

LUCKY ME…my next big show and my gallery walk were set to open on Friday the 13th! (This was earlier this year, but I thought you might like the story…)

Obviously to some people, Friday the 13th is a superstitious day.

Through the ages, the number “13″ has been an unlucky number and Friday is considered a bad-luck-day. In fact there is an actual name for it, paraskavedekatriaphobia and it is an actual phobia that became mainstream in 1953. Before that, Friday the 13th was just oral folk lore. So, thanks to someone’s, clever ‘back-handed’ marketing trick, Friday the 13th now haunts us all at least once or twice a year!

Now, back to art…

I live in Sun Valley, Idaho where there is a strong art community and many nationally renowned galleries. Once a month (on a Friday) we have “Gallery Walk” night. This year I shared the show with fellow painter Shanna Kunz, and bird sculptor Lona Hymas-Smith. All three artists’ styles complement each other.

Just one problem – this year, our opening night landed on Friday the 13th! Hey, but I’m not superstitious and Friday is my favorite day of the week!

Okay, I have to admit that when my Gallery Director announced that our artists’ reception was on the 13th – I recoiled for just a moment and cynically thought to myself,

“Wow, we are already dealing with fearful people clinging to their wallets during this bad market, why not throw in some good old-fashioned superstition and see how much art sells!”

Nonsense! I nipped that superstitious b.s. thinking in-the-bud! In fact, the rebel in me likes to break the rules in art, so in the face of the recession I decided to ‘raise- the-bar’ even a little higher for myself.

I got busy and painted some my best works yet.
Along with large pieces, I painted non-stadard sizes to fit in smaller spaces and niches.
I painted a completely different series of work – the bird theme was common thread between my different genres…still life, and a new series of birds & nature inspired by Japanese screens.
I used custom frames instead of using my ready-made frame inventory.
Importantly, I DID NOT raise my prices – even with the added frame costs.
My “logical” mind kept telling me that despite what the media was/is telling us about the soft market, I knew that money had to be somewhere! It couldn’t have just disappeared or vaporized…someone out there had to have it. And, why couldn’t it be the art collectors, right???

The opening was was a success. The gallery looked great – they really know how to hang artwork like a pro and all three of us sold some major pieces and smaller ones as well. Sales were still a bit slower than a few years ago, but I was grateful!!!

…And guess what else? I forgot all about Friday the 13th! As it turns out, it wasn’t good luck either. It was just a lot of old fashioned hard work that paid off.

~Lori