An Abundant Life - Living Art

A few months ago I met the Artists Robert Yucikas and Darcy Spitz at an opening for a Woodward Gallery show at the Downtown Association in lower Manhattan. I had been wanting to follow up with them but my schedule has been so busy that I didn't have a chance to and when I saw them again at a more recent opening I made sure to ask them to keep in touch and to help me find a date to visit with them at their studio.

After a few emails and a few weeks with other engagements that we all had, we set a date and I went to visit them this past week. I'll be writing more about each of them soon in future posts, but for now I wanted to share a few photographs that I took during the visit and say for the record what a beautiful blessing my afternoon and evening visit with them was! The hours flew by, and they are such gracious hosts with such a beautiful space and beautiful work and a beautiful, inspiring history in their lives and the New York City art world. Having a chance to share time with them made my day so much brighter and I'm so grateful for the introduction to them and the opportunity to experience a glimpse into their lives and art.

At The Studio

With Robert Yucikas and Darcy Spitz

New York City

Drawings And Paintings

Robert Yucikas 

Paintings

Darcy Spitz

Paintings And Drawings

Darcy Spitz

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Design Abundance

This past week was the Boutique Design New York fair, which is also known as BDNY. I've been blessed to go for several years now and it is always one of my favorite experiences. I love to go to different design showrooms and celebrations and fairs, but there is something very special about BDNY because so many of the people there are smaller business owners and designers and crafts people. I always find something new and wonderful and beautiful and inspiring while seeing some of the people who I have met before, and each time I go I have so much fun meeting new people and saying hello to the designers and businesses I already know.

Visiting with the different designers and companies is always so inspiring, and the event itself is always so joyful! I always find new people and places to connect with and ideas and designs to bring back to my gallery and also to recommend for other projects. There is so much to see and do that it feels like being in a playground of sorts, one that is filled with and abundance of design, ideas, inspiration and beauty.

A Visit To BDNY

At The Javits Center

New York City

https://bdny.com

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

   

An Abundant Life - Artful Music

I wrote a little bit last week about the Hoboken Artists' Studio Tour that was on Sunday, November 3, and this week I wanted to follow up with some of the music that was played in the afternoon and evening of that beautiful day's celebration. Visionary Module who has performed at the gallery before was there in the evening to create his always wonderful music with some covers and some original pieces, and there was another band that played in the afternoon by the name of Plunk, Steven Dworkin on accordion and cello, David Gould on percussion, and Kevin Kemper on guitar and electronics, who play experimental music and described themselves to me as "a free improvisation music trio that combines acoustic and electronic, melodic and textural sounds into a unique experience." They were all that and more, and the combination of their wonderful music with the changing afternoon light in the gallery made for a gorgeous sound installation and immersive experience. Both Plunk and Visionary Module invited a wonderful group of friends and the gallery had such a lovely feeling to it throughout the day and evening.

Because of my own schedule, I had arrived early that day to set up and was waiting until I had everything moved around and completed before changing into the dress I was planning to wear. It was a pink sequined gown that I'd found just recently at the Hoboken Thrift Store, a wonderful place that I've written about in these pages before. It was very comfortable, but it had a little bit of a train, so I didn't want to be dragging it around and risk tripping on it or damaging it while I was moving everything into the places where they needed to be for the event. Fred Watson who arrived in the afternoon took the most wonderful photograph of me in it, and I'm so grateful to him as always for his support of the gallery and of me and his good hearted celebratory spirit. When I first put the dress on it was still very sunny outside, and with the light shining in the windows the sequins on the dress danced on the walls like stars. A visitor took a video of me that I haven't yet seen, but the memory of it still reminds me of how beautiful and special that day was because of all the wonderful people who were part of it.

The Hoboken Artists' Studio Tour

At YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Photograph With So Much Gratitude

By Fred Watson

Dress From The Hoboken Thrift Store

Plunk

Steven Dworkin - Accordion And Cello

David Gould - Percussion

Kevin Kemper - Guitar And Electronics

Live At YES Gallery

Visionary Module

Performing A Cover

Live At YES Gallery

Visionary Module

Performing An Original Creation

Live At YES Gallery

Blessings,

Jannie Susan

An Abundant Life - Celebrating Art

I've written about the Hoboken Artists' Studio Tour in these pages before, and in the past two years since I opened YES Gallery I've written about the joyous experience of celebrating the Artists' Studio Tour as a gallery that is participating in the event. This year it is today, November 3, and I had the wonderful opportunity to welcome some musicians to the space who are new to me by the name of Plunk, a trio who perform experimental music. Though they are new to me, they are not new to Hoboken as they have been living in Hoboken and making their wonderful music together in the area for some time now.

Along with Plunk I also had the wonderful opportunity to welcome back Visionary Module and in a lovely way to see these different musicians interacting with each other as one of the members of Plunk had heard from a friend that I sometimes had experimental music at the gallery and Visionary Module was one of the people who has brought his experimental music to the space. When I told him about Plunk, and that I had met them because they had heard about his performances at the gallery, he decided not only to play but to stop by and listen to their set. It's so beautiful when Artists can meet and see and listen and be inspired by each other.

I'll be writing more next week as the day itself is so busy that I won't have time for more than just this little blurb for now. It's such a joy to experience the Artists in the space and also to be able to welcome the community for wonderful celebrations like this. When we celebrate Art together in welcoming community settings and celebrations, every moment brings another beautiful memory and inspiration abounds.

Hoboken Artists' Studio Tour 2024

Celebrating Art and Music

At YES Gallery

408 6th Street

Hoboken, New Jersey

Blessings,

Jannie Susan