Collecting art, joining a convent, and buying sweaters in a heat wave
What’s on the menu for August
I kick each month off with a little life update by way of a sample platter: What I’m reading, something I recently bought, something I’m looking forward to... An amuse bouche to set the tone for the next few weeks.
An artist to know: Earlier this week I did a little Q+A with Tappan, an online art gallery that represents emerging artists and connects them to potential collectors. Tappan and I share a belief that the traditional gallery world isn’t nearly inclusive enough and can be intimidating for both artists and art lovers. Their mission is to introduce up-and-coming artists to a wider audience by sharing their stories and the evolution of their careers, and in turn, we get to enjoy watching them grow, and maybe even become an owner of a piece of their work. I have three Tappan pieces in my collection, including a giant print by Marleigh Culver, who I want to introduce you to today!
Marleigh has been a friend of mine for almost a decade, and I’ve had the pleasure of watching her artistic practice grow and shapeshift over the years. If you haven’t seen the videos she shares of herself painting I need you to stop reading this newsletter and hop over there now—I find myself zoning out into an almost meditative state watching them. The works in her latest collection for Tappan, which just launched last week, are made all the more special by her process; each piece’s backstory is evidenced by the gestural paint strokes and the way the colors bleed into the canvas and each other.
It was hard to choose, but ultimately I ended up with a print from Marleigh’s last collection, a piece called Lys. It works perfectly as the focal point to my giant living room wall, the first thing you see when you enter, and I’m so proud to show off my talented friend’s work to anyone who visits.
Two more pieces from Tappan in my house: Kay by Danny Scott Lane hangs above my desk in the entryway, and Oh My Darlin’ by Firoozeh Neman (the first sculpture in my collection!) sits on the bookshelf next to Marleigh’s piece.
House I wish was mine: If all convents looked like this, I’d become a nun. Meet Hôtel du Couvent in Nice, France, a 400 year old nunnery turned recently opened vacation destination. The nunnery had been abandoned since the ‘80s, so no nuns were displaced when the mayor of Nice asked hotelier Valéry Grégo to give the property a new purpose.
The hotel is a marvel: 88 rooms (decorated by Festen Architecture, which you may remember from this post,) 3 restaurants, several pools and Roman baths, edible gardens, an archive for enthusiasts of L’École de Nice, a bakery, and an herbalist’s apothecary are situated across four buildings, the beginnings of which were built in 1604. Grégo didn’t touch most of the buildings’ structure—it’s a historical property and therefore protected—so a lot of the fixtures and design elements are things that can be moved around and removed, leaving the property intact should the hotel move on someday.
Read more about the impressive project here, and if you book a room and want a buddy, you know where to find me.
Book on my nightstand: I finally read Carly Fortune’s This Summer Will Be Different last weekend, which was a breath of fresh Prince Edward Island air after the slew of thrillers I spent most of July with. Next up is Real Americans by Rachel Khong, which seems to be everyone’s favorite of the year so far.
Also, in case that NYT Best Books of the Century list annoyed you too, Book Enthusiast writer
polled her own readership of mostly women under 45 to create her own version of the list and dropped it in segments in her newsletter throughout last week. I added *so many* of the winning books to my TBR list, so if you haven’t already poked through you can do so starting from here.Recently purchased: I haven’t been shopping a ton, but one purchase I did make was a lucky find in the Doen sample sale: the Aleah sweater, which usually retails for $348 but was magically on sale for $149. It’s back to full-price now (and at the time I’m writing this there’s only an XS left,) but it reminded me that there’s no time like July to hunt down deals on classic knits you’ll keep forever. Case in point: Net-a-Porter currently has a bunch of &Daughter sweaters (which are my favorite) on sale right now, like this red turtleneck we’ll all wish was ours come December (normally $540, down to $162) or this perfect beige crewneck (normally $515, down to $206.)
On my wish list: I’m trying to decide if I’ll pull the trigger on this one: the J. Crew Berkeley bucket bag in Port Wine. This bag was wildly popular last fall as an alternative to The Row’s Park tote but at a tiny fraction of the price. Typically I don’t love dupe discourse, but The Row didn’t invent the bucket bag so I think we’re in the clear. The Port Wine shade is on sale for $138 right now, so we should probably jump on it while we can.
On the top shelf: I’ve unfortunately fallen victim to the hoards of TikTokers peddling those overnight collagen face masks, and even more unfortunately, they are right about how great they are. So hydrating! So satisfying! So glowy! They’re what I’ve been missing all along.
Random Etsy find: When I posted that picture of my living room the other day a couple of people asked me about the lace pillow on the sofa. It’s a vintage Victorian pillowcase I found on Etsy a while back, and if you’re looking for something similar, I’ve tracked down a few for you.
Something I’m looking forward to: I’m finally going to see the Ed Ruscha exhibit at LACMA next week and I’m very very excited. Few artists have had as much of a direct impact on me and my work as Ed Ruscha, as I’m sure he has for many of you reading this. The exhibition runs through October 6, so be sure to hop over before then if you want to catch it in LA.
Next week’s themed shopping roundup will be for paid subscribers. If you’re curious to see what they’re like, here’s one from back in March that I’ve opened up for everyone to read!
x
Ali
In case you missed it:
Notes of: A Basket Case
Welcome to Notes Of! Each month I make a mood board as a little creative exercise in thematic thinking. In Notes Of I elaborate on each month’s theme and include links to relevant articles, videos, products, and more.
ÀLC FAQ: How do you avoid burnout?
Welcome back to ÀLC FAQ, a monthly column where you submit questions and I answer them!
The July Specials
Each month I send out a list of the month’s Specials, or 10 links to things I’ve been collecting for you.
I love shopping knitwear, or actually shopping yarn to knit myself my fall/winter collection. It makes me so excited for the winter days. Now that I have a little daughter I love working on small little collections for both of us. Loved reading your little beautiful things you have collected and read lately.
You've sent me into a deeeeeep etsy rabbit hole with those victorian pillowcases. That half-moon shaped one is spectacular.