OM.2026.066 - Les Jones - UK

Om.2026.066 - collage on board - 8.25 x 5.75 inches - Les Jones - UK

 Les Jones is an influential UK-based designer, photographer, keynote speaker, publisher, and contemporary analogue collage artist based in Cheshire. A true catalyst in the global paper-art community, Jones is widely celebrated as the mastermind behind Contemporary Collage Magazine, single-handedly building an international network that champions collage as a serious, boundary-pushing fine art medium. [1, 2, 3, 4]

An overview of his background, publishing ventures, and distinct portfolio styles includes:

The Mindful Shift and Global Publishing

• Elsie Magazine: Long before focusing on collage, Jones earned significant subcultural acclaim for launching Elsie Magazine, a self-published, eclectic "one-man creative magazine". Voted one of the top ten new magazines in the world by the New York Library Journal, it was prominently exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. [1, 2, 3]
• The Lockdown Birth: Jones deeply embraced analogue collage as a mindful, tactile escape during the COVID-19 lockdown. Recognizing a massive gap in the market for resources tracking the medium, he established Contemporary Collage Magazine in 2021. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• Community Engine: Operating entirely independently, the print and digital quarterly has grown into a major international platform, connecting thousands of creators and running global initiatives like Contemporary Collage Live! and international artist residencies. [1, 2]

Aesthetic Style: Four Creative Pillars

Jones approaches his art intuitively, letting materials guide the path rather than adhering to rigid digital parameters. His work broadly shifts between four distinct styles: [1, 2]

• The Billboard Series: Compositions constructed using large, heavily weathered paper fragments torn from peeling public advertising hoardings. [1]
• The Retro Series: Highly structured, deliberate configurations built using the pages of vintage 1930s–1940s materials, such as the historic French magazine Rustica. [1, 2]
• The Graphic Series: Layouts utilizing discarded imagery from mid-century graphic design journals and old Letraset typography catalogues. [1]
• The Abstract Works: Spontaneous, emotional visual sheets layering acrylic paints over found materials to build multi-dimensional surfaces. [1, 2]

The London & Berlin Expeditions

• Hyper-Local Residencies: Highlighting his collaborative footprint, Jones was a key coordinator and participating artist in the London Collage Project 2025 and 2026 residencies, generating street-salvaged art alongside figures like Cecil Touchon and Deborah Danelley. [1, 2]
• The Global Circuit: Extending this traveling workshop format, he helped anchor the Berlin Collage Exhibition and Los Angeles Collage Expedition, cementing his status as one of Europe's premier organizers of modern print and paper dialogue. [1]