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Patris's avatar

These are powerful - and gorgeous

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Duane Toops's avatar

means a lot to me! Trying out some things, always looking for new ways of doing things.

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Jenn's avatar

I love the folded/crinkled texture of some of your papers. These are great; idling in the corners of our seasons, I like because I admire your use of white space so much. Not everything has to be filled and busy. And congrats on having your pieces accepted!

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Duane Toops's avatar

Thank you Jenn! It's always interesting to me how negative space can create calm and tension simultaneously. There's an instinctual impulse to cover it over, to the fill the silence with our own insecurities, and yet f you sit with it you discover a spaciousness breathing. It's difficult and still struggle with it in every piece. I'm glad you the crinkling. One of teh problems I'm facing with printing some of my own collage papers is that they're so fresh and untarnished, and lacking in personality. I'm struggling with that too. Lots of struggling these days it seems lol.

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Jenn's avatar

It’s a beautiful struggle, and I love the explanation creating calm and tension in the same breath. No growth without struggle, right?

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Duane Toops's avatar

Absolutely! I think peace and ‘struggle’ aren’t antithetical. I think they’re dance partners. “No mud, no lotus” as Thich Nhat Hanh would say.

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Jenn's avatar

I like that 😁

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Duane Toops's avatar

Somedays it's easier to remember than others, lol.

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Jenn's avatar

Truth! 😂

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Manuela Thames's avatar

Love this: To recognize the crippling feeling of being limited,” John O’Donohue says, “is already to have begun" breaking it away.

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Duane Toops's avatar

John O’ Donohue is always an absolute joy to read!

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Ann Collins's avatar

To recognize the crippling feeling of being limited,” John O’Donohue says, “is already to have begun" breaking it away.

It’s beautiful when you start to hear the voice of that calm and steady Watcher inside who quietly notices how you *Are* today.

All of these pieces are speaking to me. Especially “unruly life” I don’t know why. Like a poem, it’s not something I can analyze as much as to absorb somehow.

Congratulations on your gallery success!

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Duane Toops's avatar

Thanks Ann! I’m having a very difficult time creatively at the moment, especially so with my analog work. I find I’m doing more digital things than usual which I find much harder to take seriously, but sometimes things like “unruly life” get made in the process.

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Ann Collins's avatar

I sympathize 100% with how some seasons feel hard. I’m there now too. We need to relax and trust the process (a total mystery, right?)

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Rod Bluhm's avatar

I'm glad you have art to help you break away, Duane. Congrats on having more pieces accepted to an exhibit!

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Duane Toops's avatar

Thanks Rod! Sometimes it helps, sometimes it makes it worse. Most days its a comfort, but there are days like these, where it’s crippling. Creativity is fickle. Thanks again.

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Rod Bluhm's avatar

I can understand that, Duane!

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Elizabeth Grace Martinez's avatar

I think as humans we thrive on guidelines in order to find the “right” way to live. Hence the borders and dams

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Duane Toops's avatar

Great point!

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Jeffrey Streeter's avatar

Stunning work!

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Duane Toops's avatar

Wow! Thank you! Doing a lot of experimenting lately, with not very many successes, lol. Thanks for reading.

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Rikki Horvatic's avatar

Amazing work, congrats on the acceptance.

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Duane Toops's avatar

Much appreciated!!

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Mike Hammer's avatar

Reminds me of the transactional nature of things.

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Duane Toops's avatar

That’s a really interesting observation! thanks for pointing that out!

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