Latest news with #Wallin
Elle
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
I Asked Experts How to Start an Art Collection So You Don't Have To
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. I've always loved interior design and decorating. In my childhood room, I'd collage the walls. In college, I never missed a campus poster sale. An antique mall hates to see me coming. But now that I've gotten, shall we say, more mature, it doesn't feel quite as cute or quaint to have a hodgepodge of ephemera haphazardly taped to my walls. It's time to be a big girl and do things right, so I set out to find out 1) how to start my own collection, and 2) where to buy art online. Having an art collection sounds so lofty, so esoteric, so refined. But every knowledgeable artsy person I spoke to on the subject assured me that I need not be intimidated. If you want to start your own collection, it's as simple as that; just start one. Art is in the eye of the beholder, so don't get hung up on your lack of credentials. Buy what speaks to you. 'Art doesn't need to be expensive to make an impact,' Annica Wallin, executive creative director at Desenio, told me. 'It's about choosing pieces that resonate with you. Start small, mix and match, and don't be afraid to experiment. Art should feel like a creative expression, not a perfect formula.' One practical tip to note, however, is that people commonly underestimate their space. All my research—including my conversation with Wallin—drilled home the same point that shoppers tend to buy art that's too small; so measure, measure, measure. And use painter's tape to map out the dimensions on your wall to see how each piece scales. I love using social media to find independent creators who sell from their own profiles and found that was an easy gateway to starting my collection. More recently, I treated myself to a reprint of a Slim Aarons photo that I love. And items like that, of course, are not sold on TikTok Shop. So, below, I'm breaking down my eight favorite places to find real art online. Desenio 'At Desenio, we curate collections designed by real artists in our own Stockholm-based art atelier, which means you're getting thoughtfully crafted, high-quality art at an accessible price,' says Wallin of her company. For those in need of guidance, you can even shop by pre-designed gallery walls, so you'll know exactly how everything looks together before you make a purchase. Plus, the brand is very quick to ship. And for the conscientious shopper, Desenio's production process is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the company plants two new trees for every one used. The studio also works with Vi Agroforestry to ensure not only environmental stewardship, but care and consideration for the involved farmers, too. Drool When I need interior design inspiration, I go to Drool. The site features pages upon pages of photos from real customers showing off their gallery walls, and each one makes me want to shop. This site specializes in contemporary art in various formats, including graphic design prints and illustrated posters, from a global web of emerging artists. All its art is exclusive to the site, too. Materials are sustainably sourced and giclée printed using archival-grade processes, resulting in gallery quality, and you can opt in or out of handmade framing. One of my favorite things about this brand is Drool School, a miniature course on all things related to buying art. I recommend anyone reading this take a few minutes to check it out. Best of all, Drool has big sales regularly. Artfinder Have you ever thought about commissioning an artist for an original work? Well, when you do, Artfinder is the place to go. Browse and buy original works and communicate directly with artists for special requests or projects. The site offers free returns globally and carries every variety of style and medium that you could want, from nudist photorealism to sculptures to pet portraits. As an added bonus, the B-corp certified company is set to have net zero emissions by 2030. Saatchi Art closely; I have a great secret hack. If you shop with Saatchi Art, you get access to a complimentary art advisor. Yes, a literal expert curator who can help you with your journey for no extra charge. The site is home to more than 1.4 million original works from nearly 100,000 emerging artists across more than 110 countries. In short, there's gotta be something in the mix that you'll like. This is also one of the few platforms where curators and collectors can share their own stories and insights. Meanwhile, artists can showcase their backgrounds, exhibition histories, and the stories behind their craft. Lastly—and this is the aspect I find most revolutionary—Saatchi's app offers a 'View in Your Room' feature, where you can literally visualize what a given piece would look like in your space. Etsy For gifts, personalization, or custom requests, it's got to be Etsy. You can feel good about supporting small-business owners while browsing millions of items. Get your favorite family photo etched into driftwood or have a meaningful lyric written out in beautiful calligraphy. 'One of the things I love most are the talented emerging artists on Etsy who offer customized pieces, allowing you to work directly with the seller to bring your ideas to life and co-create something that feels uniquely yours,' says Danya Isom Johnson, the site's trend expert. You can also find vintage goods and handmade crafts that double as wall art, like handwoven tapestries or archival newspapers. Etsy also carries a wide array of digital downloads for as little as $1—perfect if you're willing to print at home. 1st Dibs According to 1st Dibs' about page, the online bazaar has 'captured the magic of the Paris flea market' for 25 years running. And if you weren't shopping online, you have to admit that a French market sounds pretty dreamy, right? This site is one-of-a-kind. Shop from trusted global sellers for an original Julian Wasser photo, a signed Norman Rockwell piece from 1948 (for a cool $8 million), or any other collectible memorabilia, all of which are vetted and verified for authenticity by the brand's in-house experts. Don't let that big ticket item fool you, by the way, you can also find incredible gems for less than $50. It's all about the hunt. Ebay Speaking of the hunt, I can't leave out eBay. Yes, you have to be careful. Yes, you could get scammed, so shop accordingly. Maybe stay away from that alleged original Picasso that conveniently doesn't have any proof of authenticity. But it is your best bet at finding that random movie theater poster from 2005—or a One Direction concert setlist (asking for a friend). One of the best things about eBay is—and always has been—the chance to bid on and negotiate prices. So, if you're just looking to add some garage-sale flair to your space without thinking too deeply about quality, it's worth having a look. Great Big Canvas Niche shoppers, this one is for you. At Great Big Canvas, you can be as picky and specific as you want. Browse by zodiac sign, room, color, or aesthetics like farmhouse, glam, or coastal. You can also filter by subject in case your heart is set on a saxophone painting or a photo of Palomino horse. Whatever you're looking for, these works are handcrafted in the U.S. and include free returns. Customize the size, finish, and framing exactly as you like, and choose between a variety of styles, including gallery-wrapped canvas, framed prints, metal prints, and more. Why Trust ELLE Every product featured on is independently researched, tested, or editor-approved. We only recommend products that we stand behind, and the merchandise featured on our site is always driven by editorial and product testing standards, not by affiliate deals or advertising relationships. Any content created in partnership with advertisers is marked as such. Shop More From ELLE
West Australian
26-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Queensland coal baron creeps to 23.5% of Venus share register
There's an adage in the markets that still rings true for savvy punters chasing the next big win: 'Follow the money.' It's simple, time-tested and often spot-on. So when Venus Metals Corporation released an ASX regulatory notice last week revealing that Chris Wallin, the owner of QCoal Group, had been busy mopping up shares in the Western Australian junior explorer, punters might be wise to take note. Wallin is ranked 50th on The Australian newspaper's latest richest 250 list, with an estimated wealth of $3.13 billion. The Queenslander made his fortune from the ground up by building a coal mining operation 36 years ago, turning it into one of his home state's biggest resource companies. With five producing coal mines and an estimated $400 million in annual dividends, the veteran resource executive has plenty of ready cash to deploy into his pet projects and it seems, Venus is one of them. Wallin's recent buying spree of a further 2.43M shares has now taken his total holding in Venus to 23.53 per cent. The Corporations Act rules state a shareholder can own up to 19.9 per cent of a company before triggering a compulsory takeover bid. However, a creep provision within those rules allows the same investor to accumulate a further 3 per cent of the register every six months. Given that Wallin has invoked the creep rules to take his holding in Venus to 23.5 per cent, it would seem fair to suggest he may not want to stop there. The seasoned miner first stepped up to the plate as a Venus shareholder in 2019 after taking a 5 per cent stake in the junior company through a placement. He has been a stalwart supporter since, accumulating a further 40M shares in the past six years. At the time of the initial raising, funds were earmarked for exploration at the company's Western Australian Youanmi gold project in a joint venture (JV) with Rox Resources. The rest is history, with the JV partners now moving towards a final investment decision to develop a 2.3-million-ounce gold mine just as the gold price booms. Two years ago, Venus sold its interests in the project to Rox in exchange for 110M Rox shares after the partners agreed to consolidate ownership of the project. Half those shares were distributed in specie and as a bonus to Venus' shareholders, leaving Wallin a beneficiary with 2.4 per cent of the Rox register. He has continued to build on that initial stake and now owns 8.5 per cent of the register. Whatever plays out next in the Venus story, one thing is clear: Wallin has made his move and, given that he is such an astute operator, punters will take note. On the face of it, he might be onto something. Venus appears to be shaping up as an under-the-radar gold play, thanks to its $17.5M stake in Rox. That's against Venus's market capitalisation of just $20M. On top of that, Venus holds a 1 per cent royalty over the Youanmi gold project, which is due to pour first gold by early 2027. The royalty was independently valued last June at $9.5, when gold was selling for $3155 per ounce. With gold now booming at $5162 per ounce, Youanmi's value appears light on. Venus's market capitalisation could be justified alone on the back of its gold-laced royalty stream and a swag of Rox shares. However, its own exploration plays are quickly becoming just as compelling. At its Sandstone gold project, 70 kilometres from Rox's Youanmi mine, the company is fast-tracking development at its Bellchambers deposit, which already has a 30,500-ounce gold resource. Venus has lodged a new mining lease application over the JORC resource at site and is eyeing a potential mine gate deal with Rox with metallurgical studies already in motion. The company has also just completed a fresh reverse circulation to upgrade the resource with results pending and is about kick off a diamond drilling campaign to further its metallurgical studies. Venus isn't just chasing gold. At the company's Pincher base metal project, 15km from Youanmi, it's also hunting a major copper prize. A recent survey uncovered a massive 5000-Siemens anomaly, already tested with RC drilling. Now, with a WA Government exploration incentive grant in hand, the company is gearing up to drill diamond tails next month. At the same prospect, drilling has also uncovered shallow zinc hits. Metallurgical test work has already been completed on the mineralisation and an infill drilling program is now in the pipeline as the company eyes a potential resource. Adding to the company's value proposition, Venus has bagged a $6M farm-in JV with IGO Limited, right next door to the world-class Greenbushes lithium mine. The early signs look promising, with spodumene crystals spotted at its Cow Slip and Flying Duck prospects. Gravity surveys are now homing in on drill targets. Meanwhile, Venus is quietly stockpiling a portfolio of specialty assets. Near Youanmi, it holds a calcrete deposit that could supply acid neutralisation material to Rox's future gold plant, and it has filed a provisional patent tied to a titanium-vanadium-iron project with breakthrough hydrometallurgical potential. With a billionaire backer steadily upping his stake, an interest in Youanmi already worth almost as much as the company's entire market cap and a pipeline of high-impact exploration plays across gold, copper, lithium and critical minerals, Venus Metals appears to be quietly transforming from a sleeper stock into a serious gold player with a multi-commodity twist. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Over 7,000 combat boots brave elements at Fort Adams to honor fallen U.S. service members
Over 7,000 combat boots, each honoring a fallen U.S. service member, are on display over Memorial Day weekend at Fort Adams State Park in Newport. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current) A late spring nor'easter dumped 2 inches of rain on Newport Thursday. Not exactly the best weather for an outdoor display of over 7,000 combat boots. 'They've been out there for nine years, and they're beginning to show their wear and tear and weather like this does not help,' Erik Wallin, executive director of Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, said Thursday afternoon as rain and heavy winds swept through the state. But then combat boots are designed for rough terrain, extreme weather, and heavy-duty use. And the boots on display in the Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial are holding up thanks to the TLC from Operation Stand Down staff and hundreds of volunteers. The memorial opened Friday morning under cloudy skies at Fort Adams State Park in Newport. Each boot in the memorial organized by Operation Stand Down has a U.S. flag and a tag with the name and photo of a fallen service member killed in action since 9/11 in the Global War on Terror. The memorial remains open to the public for viewing 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday. Admission is free. The boots are organized alphabetically and by state and U.S. territories. Visitors often leave coins on the boots, some are symbolic of a personal connection to the soldier, sailor, Marine or Coast Guard personnel who died. A quarter could mean you were with the service member when they died; a dime that you served with the deceased; a nickel that you were at basic training together; and a penny that you visited and paid your respects and thanked the veteran for their service. With the exception of the possibility of a passing late afternoon shower Friday and a lesser chance on Saturday, Wallin is thankful the National Weather Service forecasts calls for a dry Sunday and Memorial Day. The memorial has been installed each year at Fort Adams since 2019. One year, it rained throughout the holiday weekend and into the following days so the boots could not dry out. Wallin said the boots had to be hauled to the Rhode Island Army National Guard Armory in Warwick to dry out. The boots spend most of the year stored in a trailer. But this past Monday, Operation Stand Down staff drew the grid on the field inside Fort Adams. Over 200 volunteers helped place the boots and flags over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday. 'There was a little bit of mold on them,' Wallin said. Not anymore though. Among the volunteers who came to help set up the memorial this week, the East Providence High School football team helped clean boots. 'We're tremendously blessed, all of us at Operation Stand Down,' Wallin said. 'It's very moving to see a hundred volunteers show up on any one day, both as a tribute to those who have fallen and it's a tremendous recognition of people appreciating the sacrifice and service of our U.S. military. This year there are exactly 7,326 boots, the same number on display last year, Wallin said. More boots are added each year if additional U.S. service members are killed in action in war operations under the specific criteria of the Department of Defense. Each fallen hero is represented by a single boot except for the 29 Rhode Island service members killed who are each honored with a pair of boots. A separate circle with pairs of desert tan boots pays tribute to the fallen veterans from Rhode Island. The rest of the boots are black, acquired through military surplus a decade ago. Since then, the Defense Department has switched over to desert tan boots. 'Unfortunately these have been part of the memorial now for over nine years, and they do begin to show their age,' Wallin said. 'We're kind of at that vector point of having to make a decision about going out and investing in an entirely new set.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Volunteers secure annual Boots on the Ground display as storm moves in
NEWPORT, R.I. (WPRI) — Operation Stand Down Rhode Island had to move quickly to prepare its annual Boots on the Ground for Heroes Memorial at Fort Adams State Park Wednesday. OSDRI Executive Director Erik Wallin told 12 News Thursday's impending storm threw a wrench into their usual preparation timeline. 'This looks like a real doozy of a storm,' he said. 'We got as many volunteers as we could out.' WEATHER ALERT: Heavy rain, strong wind expected Thursday Wallin said more than 200 volunteers have worked tirelessly over the last couple of days to set up the memorial, which pays tribute to more than 7,000 servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice. The display is nearly complete, according to Wallin, with volunteers planning to put on the final touches before it opens to the public. The memorial consists of thousands of pairs of combat boots line up in a large grid. Each one is adorned with an American flag and the name of a servicemember killed in action during the post-9/11 Global War on Terror. Wallin explained that volunteers have been tying each of the boots down to the ground to prevent them from blowing over in the wind. 'We're here at Fort Adams, which is right on the coast,' Wallin said. 'A ton of wind comes in here from all different directions at every time of the day.' 'Hopefully this will weather the storm that's coming,' he continued, referring to the memorial. Wallin said not setting up the display simply wasn't an option. 'We've had situations where it has rained so much that, when we go to pick up these boots, we were dumping water out of them,' Wallin said. 'We had the National Guard at one point put them all in their armory to try and dry them out.' 'You just never know what weather you're going to get in New England on Memorial Day weekend,' he added. Wallin said volunteers will monitor the memorial throughout the storm Thursday to ensure that it stays in place. The display will be open to the public starting Friday at 9 a.m. It will be available for viewing from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Memorial Day itself. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
L.A. man sentenced to 40 years in prison for convincing kids to create sexually explicit content
A Los Angeles man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for using social media to meet and entice children into producing sexually explicit content. From 2019 to August 2021, Mark David Wallin, 44, of Del Rey, used the internet and apps like Snapchat to meet pre-teen children in the U.S. and abroad, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He would develop romantic relationships with them and eventually persuade them to engage in sexually explicit conduct through video chat, which he screen-captured and saved, prosecutors said. After his victims sent the explicit content, Wallin would sometimes demand additional explicit images and videos from them. If the children did not cooperate, he would threaten to publish or expose the pictures and videos they had previously sent him. In one instance, Wallin convinced a child who was around 9-10 years old to send sexually explicit images and videos of himself through Snapchat, prosecutors said. In his plea agreement, Wallin admitted to coercing at least four additional victims – ranging in age from 12 to 16 years old – to produce child pornography. He also admitted to possessing around 200 files containing child sexual abuse material. Wallin has been in federal custody since July 2022. In September 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. On May 16, he was sentenced to 480 months (40 years) in federal prison. The judge who presided over the hearing said Wallin committed 'cruel and relentless' crimes against children and that his conduct was 'highly sexualized sadomasochistic conduct that no child should know of, let alone be exposed to.' A restitution hearing is scheduled for August 13. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
