14 Comments
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Richard's avatar

Love a piece of found text in a collage - they immediately become resonant. Recently experimenting with some blackout poetry which has a similar effect - would be good to combine with collage work at some point.

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Duane Toops's avatar

Hi Richard! Thanks for reading! You're absolutely right about the connections with blackout poetry and collage work. I came to collage through blackout and cutout poetry. Eventually the collage took over for me, lol. But, recently been trying to bring it back into my work. I'd love to see what you come up with! Thanks again!

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Duane Toops's avatar

This is really well done! Keep going!

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Ann Collins's avatar

I liked finding lyrical snippets of the longer text inside the images.

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Duane Toops's avatar

That's onw of my favourite things to do in the pieces. So glad you like it too!

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Writer Pilgrim by So Elite's avatar

This is the second time or so that I read a piece by you and it connects to a conversation I've had in a group earlier that day. What are the chances? Silence, stillness was something we discussed in a group today and how important it is. But it's like a double edged sword this silence. In it you can find solutions, answers but you can also find and feel loneliness. I was wondering as I read this and you connected silence to violence and I assumed that making collages is a way to find and appreciate silence. I could be wrong. I'd like to know what sounds are around you and what it sounds like when you create the collage. Literally. Is it digital, is it pieces of paper cut out and put together? Would it be possible to hear a recording of this? That'd be really cool. No pressure, just putting an idea out there! I loved this piece.

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Duane Toops's avatar

From time to time I put a record on while I work. I love the warmth and crackle of vinyl. But for the most part I prefer to work in silence. There's so much noise so often, i find that I relish the fragments of quiet I can garner. It's interesting that my time on the mediation cushion and my time at my workbench collaging are the quietest moments of my day and in that way they become extensions of one another. Both practices of quiet contemplation, of looking deeply, of noticing.

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Carolyn Jones's avatar

This is precisely why Substack is my favourite platform. Well articulated writing and beautiful images! Love your ICAD work!

Made me think of this -

"People. People. Endless noise.

And I am so tired. And I would like to sleep under trees; red ones, blue ones, swirling passionate ones.”

Fyodor Dostoevsky

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Duane Toops's avatar

Definitely should read more of him!

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Mitchell Volk's avatar

Oooo I really like “Gradients”! Any chance you would ever sell it? To me? And if you so, for how much?

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Duane Toops's avatar

Thanks man! I’m so glad you like it! I’ll shoot you a message.

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Morgan Wrolstad's avatar

Wow these are beautiful, what a cool challenge too

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Duane Toops's avatar

Oh, thank you! I’m so glad you like them! It’s been a fun challenge so far. So glad @Dishkitty told me about it!

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