Magazine fragments, wrapping paper, and printed out AI image on index card
4 x 6 in
Duane Toops produces a consistently compelling Substack, offering a glimpse into his evolving collage practice alongside raw, insightful reflections on creativity and the ebb and flow of everyday life. It’s an intimate look at the processes and thoughts that shape his work. His collages, a mix of found materials and occasionally AI-generated imagery, achieve a striking harmony, fusing fragmented elements into compositions that always feel timely.
magazine fragments and vintage paper on index card
4 x 6 in
My process is, itself, my way of attempting to negotiate the tension between control and spontaneity. I keep my tools and source materials organized efficiently. I work ritualistically. I keep a disciplined routine. And, the point of all of it is to create space to actively court randomness uncontrollably in the process of making things. To make decisions quickly and instinctively. To take chances, make observations, and respond accordingly.
Vintage and contemporary magazine fragments
8.5 x 11.5 in
I use collage as a means to explore the fragmented nature of the human experience through the paradox of severance and connection. Through the tension of the unresolved and the ambiguous. The spaces between what is seen and what is hidden. It’s a cohesion and coherence that is comprised of incompleteness. That sees wholeness as something made of something fractal.
Vintage magazine fragments and vintage paper
8.5 x 11.5 in
Vintage and contemporary magazine fragments, and printed out AI image
4 x 6 in
I’m pretty stereotypical when it comes to materials. I like old books and vintage magazines. Things with a past, a history, a story, a narrative. Things that have lived. I favor objects, landscape, and scraps of typography as subjects over figures or people. Regardless, I always try to make sure that images are obscured in some way that hints at the fact that there is always something just beyond what we can see, something always at the periphery, at the threshold, just out of reach.
Magazine fragments and vintage paper
4 x 6 in
It's that dance of control and serendipity that I see and appreciate in Pollock's work. It highlights the fact that all creative practices are embodied processes of self-discovery. That everything we make is a form of autobiography. That the work knows more than we do. And that when we serve the work properly, it will teach us more than we could ever come to understand any other way.
Magazine fragments and vintage paper
4 x 6 in
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Duane Toops is a mixed-media artist known for his dynamic and textured approach to art-making. Working primarily in collage, Toops blends analog and digital techniques to create works that explore themes of identity, impermanence, and transformation. His layered compositions often juxtapose fragmented imagery with raw, gestural marks, reflecting a process-driven philosophy. Toops’s practice is rooted in a curiosity about materiality and meaning, inviting viewers to engage with the tension between chaos and order. His work has been featured in exhibitions and publications that celebrate experimental and contemporary art practices.
For Your Viewing Pleasure
BRIAN REED, a London-based mixed-media artist, explores the interplay of found imagery, urban landscapes, and abstract forms. Drawing on his background in graphic design, Reed’s work balances structural precision with spontaneity, creating compositions that engage texture and form in raw and evocative ways.
JOHN SCHARBACH is a Washington, D.C.-based artist whose multidisciplinary practice explores identity, memory, and time. Through collage, painting, and mixed media, he weaves personal history with cultural commentary, earning recognition in numerous exhibitions.
NAJEEBAH AL-GHADBAN is a designer, art director, and collage-artist from Kuwait, based in San Francisco. She received a BFA and MFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
ANTHONY AMADEO is a vision-driven artist specializing in fashion photography. Rooted in his Italian-American heritage and inspired by Art Deco architecture and old Hollywood, his work blends bold composition, natural light, and intuitive styling to create cinematic yet deeply personal images.
ANGELICA PAEZ’s collage practice is rooted in a lifelong fascination with cutting, layering, and constructing. From her earliest memories of creating fantastical scenes with safety scissors and catalog clippings as a child, her work has retained a sense of play and curiosity. Today, with sharp scissors in hand, she transforms this youthful joy into a nuanced, dynamic art form that continues to celebrate the art of making.
Out and About
What to watch, read, and experience, as curated by the Collé team.
▼ READ
Meet Anthony Amadeo - CanvasRebel Magazine
Anthony Amadeo's feature in Canvas Rebel dives into his creative journey, exploring his unique approach to fashion photography and his inspirations rooted in Italian-American heritage and old Hollywood allure.
▼ READ
Artist Creates Parallel Universes for Top Fashion Brands Through Collage
First coined by Braque and Picasso, the term “collage” is lifted from the French word coller, meaning “to glue.” This “gluing” is central to collage, and merges a range of materials, influences, and symbols. It’s also a technique that artist Constantin Prozorov has mastered.
▼ LISTEN
Hamilton Leithauser – This Side of the Island
This slow burning ballad that finds the former Walkmen frontman leaning into his knack for storytelling. It’s a track that unfolds patiently, rewarding listeners with a timeless, aching beauty.
