Archive for the ‘graffiti and street art’ Category

Coxwell and Soller

Posted: June 12, 2026 in doors, graffiti and street art, intersections, locations
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A walk down Coxwell Avenue with a few diversions along the way…..

below: Part of larger mural painted by Al Runt that covers most of the exterior of a building on Gerrard near Coxwell.

part of a mural by Al Runt, fantasy characters with big mouths and little arms in colourful colours.

The “Soller” part of the title of this post is a direct reference to artist Rowell Soller. As it turns out he was touching up one of his murals on Coxwell when I walked past.

artist Rowell Soller works on a mural near Coxwell and Gerrard, a woman's face in red and orange tones

mural by Rowell Soller, woman

below: This large painting is on the same building as the mural in the photo above.  It is a collaboration between Soller and Flips.  If you see a painting in Toronto that has those curls and swirls, it was probably painted by Flips.

large Rowell Soller mural on a building that is on the southwest corner of Coxwell and Gerrard

below: “The choice is yours”

pink and black curves, plus text in white that says the choice is yours

Harrys Burgers restaurant and a Home Hardware store on the northeast corner of Coxwell and Gerrard

old bank building, now for sale, on Coxwell Avenue

below: Coxwell and Gerrard (south part), looking southeast.    A quirk in the map, a jog in the street.  For reasons no longer clear (probably something to do with the history of the area), Gerrard is divided by Coxwell into a southern and a northern section.   This is the southern part where it is Gerrard to the west of Coxwell but Eastwood Avenue to the east.

Coxwell and Gerrard

side of building beside vacant lot that used to be Dean Motors International

below:  The sign says Fairford Avenue, which is partially correct as it is Fairford to the west of Coxwell, but Gerrard Street to the east.  Confused yet?   The 506 Carleton streetcar runs on Gerrard as far east as Main Street and west all the way to High Park… but it has to make two turns at Coxwell to stay on Gerrard.

new apartment building being built on northeast corner of Coxwell and Fairford, TTC streetcar in picture, Carleton Car.

below: Signs of summer!

looking down a path in a ravine to the street where an ice cream truck is parked

below: Bowmore Road Junior and Senior Public School is just east of Coxwell.  It was built in 1923.

Bowmore Road junior and senior public school, an old brick building

below: Does anybody still refer to Toronto as ‘The 6ix’?  It was popular ten years ago when Drake used it in a song but I haven’t heard it much recently.

sign in store window that says the 6ix

in the window of a pottery store, some terra cotta pots, also a sign that says it's the other pot shop

below: Another Coxwell mural, another collaboration between Rowell Soller and Flips (from 2022).

mural by flips and rowell soller on the side of Pizza Nova on Coxwell Ave

below: … and yet another, this time with yellow curls

part of a mural by flips and rowell soller, 2 white faces, with a green face in the middle, yellow curvy curls

a car is parked in front of part of a mural by flips and rowell soller, 2 white faces, with a green face in the middle, yellow curvy curls

below: More Soller painting, this time on Queen East close to Coxwell, a woman in blue.

mural by Rowell Soller and Flips on brick wall outside of Coffee House on queen Street East

a man in shorts and sandals walks past a small table and two olive green chairs on the sidewalk

old, now empty, Canadian Dry Cleaners building on Queen Street East

looking through a bicycle store window with man walking on sidewalk, a bus, and other street scene, bikes in the store and hanging from the ceiling

below:  Emdaabiimok Avenue is now the name of the lower part of Coxwell, south of Queen. In Anishinaabemowin, Emdaabiimok translates to “where the road goes to the water”

Emdaabiimok Ave city street sign, at Queen

people waiting for a bus at a bus shelter on a sunny summer day

very large, tall, tree on a residential street

a woman wearing a head scarf is opening front gate in front of a small orange house with a white door

driveway between houses, orange cones around corner of one of the houses, garage in the back

three single famiily houses on coxwell avenue

single family residences on Coxwell Avenue

below: There are a lot of tiny houses on Coxwell!

single family residences on Coxwell Avenue

three small houses squished together on coxwell avenue

below: There is also this tall skinny house that has a footprint of only 16′ x 16′   (just under 5m x 5m).  It has one bedroom and is built on stilts.  It is accessed from the sidewalk by a bridge.   Originally it was painted in blue, red, green, and yellow squares and rectangles and really did look like it was made of Lego blocks.   If you hear of someone referring to it as the Lego House, that’s why.  This pale blue and dark grey mix looks much better!

single family residences on Coxwell Avenue

below: Like most other places in the city, there are always changes to be seen whether it is a complete reno of a house or the addition of a rooftop terrace.

square three storey residence, beside older single family home that has new rootop terrace

single family residences on Coxwell Avenue

below: If you walk (or drive) slightly farther north on Coxwell, you might see this car.  Its collection of colourful and sparkly decorations has slowly grown over the years to the point where there isn’t much room left!

reddish colour car covered with sparkly bits as decoration

woman standing on front porch with a hose, watering garden of flowers

orange and red blotchy door, red brick wall,

blue and white street sign, coxwell avenue, hanging by a traffic light, red light,

open sign in window, opening times sign with red letters, Boxes of old milwaukee beer and creemore beer signs inside the store

from oranges to little yellow birdies

Posted: May 29, 2026 in construction, galleries, graffiti and street art, history, old buildings, transportation
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subtitle: A little wander down King Street East (and area) with a look at  both the past and present .

the words enter slowly on the glass portion of a garage door, with reflections in that glass of people walking past

…Starting with a cup of coffee and a CONTACT exhibit – photos by Jamaal Owusu-Ansah titled “Hints of Orange” at the Black Canary coffee shop on Sherbourne Street just north of King, showing until 5th June (but coffee and goodies still available after that!)

photography exhibit, by Jamaal Owusu-Ansah, back of black man holding three oranges behind his back

photography exhibit, by Jamaal Owusu-Ansah, back of black man holding three oranges in a plastic bag slung over his shoulder and behind his back

chalkboard sign outside black canary coffee shop that says, "I don't care what the weather says anymore, It's iced coffee season"

“I don’t care what the weather says anymore, It’s iced coffee season”

women sitting at table and red chairs outside black canary coffee shop on Sherbourne street

below: Looking west on King from Jarvis with the steeple of St. James Cathedral rising above.

looking west on king towards St James Cathedral, TTC streetcar in foreground

below: King Street has been a vital part of Toronto since the beginning.  It was one of the original roads laid out in the late 1790s in the Town of York (which became Toronto in 1834).   At that time it ended at Berkeley Street.

old town toronton red and white banner, on king street east

below: south side of King street, looking west from Sherbourne

south side of King street, looking west from Sherbourne

below: The southwest corner of King and Sherbourne streets.

southwest corner of king and sherbourne streets

below: More views of the King and Sherbourne intersection – this time the northeast corner with the newer condos rising above.  The old bank building became part of those condos.

northeast corner of King and Sherbourne, number 230 King is old bank building, glass and steel condos rising behind it

below: In 1972 when this photo was taken, 230 King Street East was a branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).  It was built in 1908.

1972 black and white photo of CIBC (bank of commerce) building at king and Sherbourne

Photo from City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2032, Series 841,

the word betty's in red on window of now empty bettys pub

Betty’s (once the Betty Ford Clinic – or just the Betty Ford? –  until the original Betty Ford  issued a cease and desist order) has moved to Queen St East. The King location closed in 2022 after 30 years on the premises. The building, and its neighbour,  234 and 236 King Street East, are listed as city heritage sites. In 1888, the red brick building was constructed as a warehouse for a bedding manufacturer,  Chaney and Co Bedding.  And yes, they are empty because a developer plans to build a condo tower here.

historic plaque for 236 king street east, chaney bedding company

round beer signs above the windows of old pubs, now empty, Fosters, Steam Whistle, Heineken, and Carlsberg

below: Duke Mews is a short lane running west from Princess, back towards Sherbourne. It is just north of King Street, between King and Adelaide. Once upon a time, Adelaide Street was called Duke Street.

Toronto street sign for Duke Mews

below: West end

west end of Duke Mews, back of apartment building on Sherbourne

orange wall, back of building

graffiti on a brick wall in yellow that says you are the love of my life

“You are the love of my life”

.

below: Looking east towards Ontario Street at a view that won’t be available for much longer.  The buildings that were once here have been demolished and the site is awaiting redevelopment.

view from the east end of Duke Mews, looking across vacant lot towards Ontario Street where there is a glass and steel office tower built above an older brick building

below:  This is the brick facade that was retained when the Drug Trading Building was redeveloped (into offices and workspaces, not condos).  It was originally built in 1942 (and  expanded in 1946).  The Art Deco elements on the entrance were also saved.   This was the administration building for the company -factories were on the other side of Ontario Street.  In 2022 this was the Sun TV building even though the transition to a taller repurposed building was already underway .   The Drug Trading Company had been founded in 1896 to supply independent pharmacies with medications and other products.

brick facade of the Drug Trading Company Building

below: Looking northeast from Duke Mews – past the empty lot and the edge of The Shift to farther along Adelaide Street.

looking northeast from Duke Mews towards Ontario and Adelaide and west on Adelaide

reflections in Drug Trading Company building, also known as the Shift

below: Now looking southeast from Duke Mews towards King Street. A small sliver of that property along King will become a park.

vacant lot on Princess street north of King

below: The facade of the three storey red brick building at Princess and King is being saved.

yellow scaffolding to hold up brick facade that is being saved as the rest of the building as been demolished

arch in old brick facade that is being kept as rest of building gets rebuilt

below: Once upon a time, the Crow Bar restaurant was on the corner of Adelaide and Princess.  It closed in 2016 and in more recent years, the corner was a parking lot.

black and white photo of the Crow Bar restaurant on the corner of Adelaide and Princess street, black and white photo

This 1972 photo is from the City of Toronto Archives, fonds 2032, series 841, file 38, item 7.    Fonds 2032 is from the Toronto Planning Board and series 841 is a large collection of photos taken of intersections around the downtown core in 1972.

below: Another restaurant of the same vintage nearby on King Street, the Patrician Grill, just closed

Patrrician grill restaurant on King street, old sign outside front door

below: Interior of the Patrician Grill, at the same location since 1953.

patrician grill, interior, as seen through glass doors after closing for the last time

a bike and its shadow

two one way signs in front of a brick building

lookingin a convex mirror by the exit from an underground parking garage, two white arrows on the pavement pointing in different directions

cyclist, and king street reflected in a store window

looking in window of a furniture store, with lamps, couches, mirrors, etc

window, white curtain, words on window that say the Rosebud, shadows of the words on curtains

below: Looking southeast at King and Berkeley. Metrolinx has cleared the whole block between Berkeley and Parliament for Ontario line subway construction.

a person crosses King street at Berkley, looking southeast towards metrolinx construction of Ontario line

man working in back of truck on King as a TTC streetcar passes, Globe and Mail building in the background, near Ontario line subway construction

below: Looking southwest at King and Parliament at the hoardings around the block that Metrolinx has taken over.

King and Parliament streets, looking south west, Ontario line construction hoardings, Globe and Mail building in the background

at king and parliament, waiting for traffic lights to turn green, police car, cyclist and man on a scooter

below: Brick buildings on the northwest corner of King and Power Streets.  They are actually the back of 93 Parliament Street – built in 1908 for the Aluminum and Crown Stopper Company as factory and warehouse.   They manufactured supplies for bottlers.

old brick buildings on king street at power street

below: King and Power 1972 with a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce on the corner.

City of Toronto Archives, fonds 2032, series 841

below: Also King and Power, but in January of 1937 when there were houses on Power Street.  This photo is from a large collection of photographs taken in 1936 and 1937 of housing in this area.  A large number of the houses are in awful condition, poorly built, and condemned by the city.

black and white photo from city of toronto archives, king and power streets, northwest corner, January 1937

below: If you then turn around and face east, this is the view that you get.  It’s in black and white and I bet that it could pass as a vintage photo even though I took it a few days ago (except the modern cars might give it away).

king street, looking east from Power street.

below: Another City Archives fonds 2032, series 841 photo from 1972.  It’s not a direct match to the photo above, but the building on the corner of King and Power (356 King East) is the same one.  It wasn’t looking too healthy in 1972!  It is nice to see something that has improved with age (and some TLC).  This photo happens to show the row of buildings on the north side of King adjacent to number 356.

1972 photo from city of toronto archives, of row of buildings on the northeast corner of king and power

below: There are four leaf clovers hiding in the greenery in this Rowell Soller mural beside Sackville Park

rowell soller mural on the side of a building beside Sackville Park on King Street

below: If you have ever walked or driven this section of King Street East, you may have noticed the bright pink exterior of Cam’s Muffler/Thruway Muffler!

looking west on king from Sackville

below: Repairs and updates are in progress on the ramps between the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway that cross over King Street.  The concrete supports were painted by Shalak Attack and Bruno Smoky a few years ago.

shalak attack and bruno smoky painting of a person, face, large eyes, on concrete support pillar of overhead ramp

construction on don valley parkway ramp that crosses over king street

private property no trespassing sign on a fence that is over grown with shrubs

old painting of cats in a wicker basket, outside a vet on King and Cherry

In 1901 King Street was extended as far east as the Don River.  Because of the curvature of Lake Ontario, King Street swings north and merges with Queen just before the river.

 

I’ll end this blog post with three bits of cuteness, all are sections of the large Uber5000 mural on the Queen Street wall of the Toronto Humane Society, one of the last buildings on Queen Street before the Don River.  Uber5000’s little yellow birdie is such a happy fellow!

small part of animal themed mural by Uber 5000 at the Toronto Humane Society, little yellow birdie is laughing

small part of animal themed mural by Uber 5000 at the Toronto Humane Society, hamster in a cage, running on a wheel

small part of animal themed mural by Uber 5000 at the Toronto Humane Society, little yellow birdie is playing fetch with a black and white dog

Sanko trading company

Posted: May 28, 2026 in graffiti and street art
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below: People walking on Queen Street West.  Do you think that they realize that a large yellow eye is watching them from behind?  This is the eye of a very large painting of a cat, probably a Japanese cat.

people walking on sidewalk on Queen Street West near Claremont, with mural on the Sanko Trading company in the background, the JapanTown mural

The mural, the  JapanTown mural on the side of the Sanko Trading Company, has been re-painted.  The previous mural dates from 2013/4. A blog post with photos of what that looked like in 2015 is at:  Sanko Wall.  This blog post should give you an idea what it looks like now.

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West, south end of mural

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West, with two windows, images of sushi, graffiti painters,

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West, images of sushi, salmon and roe

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West, image of Canada goose, part in origami and part realistic, flying over a large blue wave

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West, large cat face

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West, blue aligator

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West, blue fish with large eye, open mouth with teeth, also a yellow cat and a red Japanese gate

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West, chopsticks reaching into a soup bowl with egg, noodles, and a bit of pinkish meat

a portion of Japan Town 5 mural on the side of Sanko Trading Company store on Queen Street West

 

The group of artists  (‘The Summit’) who painted the mural also made a video for youtube: The JapanTown Project No. 5

 

 

from Aphasia to Paris

Posted: May 22, 2026 in alleys, galleries, graffiti and street art
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street art, section of painted garage, rainbow striped unicorn

 

…. from Shaw to Crawford
Two very different CONTACT Photography exhibits and a short walk between them.

 

“Aphasia”  is a photography exhibit now on at Youngplace (on Shaw, just north of Queen)  Here, photographer   James Andrew Rosen  “… explores themes of impermanence, decay, and the non-linear process of healing after a traumatic experience…”  In medical terms, aphasia is a disorder that affects how you communicate.   All aspects of communication are impacted by this neurological disorder –  the ability  to speak, write, and understand both spoken and written language.   The cause is damage to the brain because of a stroke or other physical injury.

Rosen presents his photos in groups, all arranged horizontally. The exhibit runs until the end of May

 

photography, at a gallery, exhibit titled Aphasia, by James Andrew Rosen, mostly red and black

photography, at a gallery, exhibit titled Aphasia, by James Andrew Rosen

photography, at a gallery, exhibit titled Aphasia, by James Andrew Rosen

It is a short walk from Youngplace down to Queen Street either via residential streets or the alleys that run behind them.

 

small painting nailed to a wood pole, with text that says look more

a woman is outside, washing a yellow car, in front of a house with a mansard roof,

on a fence in an alley, part of the fence is covered with 5 or 6 paintings, bags of lawn garbage lined up in front of the fence, back of houses behind

Emily May Rose mural of raccoons on a garage door in an alley

alley views, garage door in blue, black, and white diagonal stripes

colourful abstract urban art on a white garage door

childlike drawings on white grage door - tree with yellow birds on branches, a seahorse, some turtles,

white line graffiti drawing on a black garage door

old wood stump, upright on sidewalk, with plastic figure nailed to it as artwork

“City of Light” at the Lyceum on Queen (at Crawford) is a collection of photos taken by Martin Reis, in Paris France. It too was part of the CONTACT Photography Festival but unfortunately its last day was the 18th of May.

in a gallery, photos taken by Martin Reis in Paris France

in a gallery, photos taken by Martin Reis in Paris France

below: The street art wheatpaste with the cats holding bouquets of flowers (in the center of this image) is the work of Tweet Street Art who is from Melbourne Australia.  Perhaps you recognize some of the other graffiti and street art in these photos?

in a gallery, photos taken by Martin Reis in Paris France

in a gallery, photos taken by Martin Reis in Paris France

in a gallery, photos taken by Martin Reis in Paris France

in a gallery, photos taken by Martin Reis in Paris France

2 women drinking white wine in an art gallery

man sitting outside a glass door, playing an accordion

 

when the walls talk to me

Posted: May 16, 2026 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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If I believe what is scrawled and scribbled on walls, there’s a lot of love out there…. but not all of it is “happily ever after”. Unrequited love can be a sad thing as Mickey has learned.

graffiti that is all text that says I will always love you my babbies No matter what they say or make up, but it needs 2 end not us the rumours you are still my Mini even Know you don't want me as your Mickey. I love you

below: “Look around, love around”. Like philosophy, it can be interpreted as you wish. It’s like “vague posting” on social media.

graffiti that is all text, words that say Look around, love around

below: I hope that you all have a “baby love dove”! It sounds very romantic!

graffiti that is all text, words that say My lover My protector My Angel My Best Friend my soulmate My Everything My Whole World My baby love dove, love 4 ever an always plus a day

below: Elevate love

graffiti that is all text, words that say elevate love

below: “Love your neighbor”

graffiti that is all text, words that say love your neighbor

below: I will file this one under ‘love’ as well

graffiti that is all text, words that say u r god

below: And this one as love too – although it could be lust or just admiration? Nah, the hearts give it away. Alex probably knows the answer.

graffiti that is all text, words that say Alex Lee is the hottest alive, A + A

below: “I’ve always known it was you” is another rather ambivalent statement. Yes, you are the one and only for me or, yes, you’re the one who stole my phone…. It could be the start of many narratives!

graffiti that is all text, words that say I have always known it was you

below: And of course, there is always the opposite of love

graffiti that is all text, words that say I don't even miss him

Some text reads like the words of a motivational speaker…

below: … such as this one, “You are sacred, you are worthy”

graffiti that is all text, words that say

below: “You’re almost there”

graffiti that is all text, words that say

below: “Fear less, create more”

below: “Hope is tax free”

graffiti that is all text, words that say Hope is tax free

A few graffiti sayings sound like they could have been written by your therapist.

below: Take seriously each other’s vulnerability”

graffiti that is all text, words that say Take seriously each other's vulnerability

below: “Practice being brave”

graffiti that is all text, words that say Practice being brave

below: “We need each other”

graffiti that is all text, words that say we need each other

Some get philosophical (or at least try)

below: “No moment more fleeting than the present”

graffiti that is all text, words that say No moments more fleeting than the present

below: “Tears in the Rain”

graffiti, black marker on grey concrete, that says tears in the rain

Or more political…

below: “To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.” … although at least one person has made it known that they disagree.

sticker that says to be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace. someone has written bullshit across it.

below: “We are poor because they are rich.”

poster with pictures of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk, with words, we are poor because they are rich

There are some warnings on those walls and fences too!

below: Poor Laura!

graffiti that is all text, words that say Laura has cooties. It's true, I saw them!

Sometimes there is just a bit of whimsy

below: Henry has left his mark here.

graffiti, Henry was here

But, as we all know, many have no meaning at all…

below: … unless someone has decided to name themselves Potato 300

graffiti that is all text, words that say
graffiti in blue that says the skys not classified

What would you say?

intersections – Dufferin & Queen

Posted: May 11, 2026 in construction, graffiti and street art, history, intersections, old buildings, transportation
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a woman stands under an umbrella on a rainy morning as she waits for a green light at Dufferin and Queen

The intersection of Dufferin and Queen Street West is dominated by the CN railway & GO transit tracks.  Large underpasses to the north and to the east define the character of the streets here.

Google map of Dufferin and Queen West area

Between 1881 and 1891, the population of Toronto more than doubled, from 86,415 in 1881 to over 181,125 ten years later (numbers are from census data).  As the city expanded, infrastructure struggled to keep up as it usually does.  It was decided that Queen Street needed an underpass instead of a level crossing.  In 1896 the first bridge was built.  At this time, Dufferin street ended at Queen to make room for the tracks.   Dufferin was now divided into a north and south section.

below: This is a 1898 photo from the City of Toronto archives  showing the new railway bridges over Queen Street West.  The view is westward. Dufferin is difficult to see in this image but it ends under the railway bridge that is farthest away.   Parkdale train station would have been just outside the picture on the left side.  It was closed by 1970.

black and white photograph, 1898, from city of toronto archives of queen and dufferin intersection

below: Still on Queen Street and still looking west but from farther back from the railway bridge which is now in the distance.  The big square-ish building on the right is a Veterinary Surgeon’s office.  The ad on the side of the building is for ‘The Sun’ where you could find the highest grade of bicycles, manufactured by G. T. Pendrith. The photo was taken in November 1896.

black and white photo from late 1890s, Queen street looking west towards railway tracks and Dufferin Street

source: There are many places to find this photo on the internet. This copy came from Wikimedia Commons.

below: Looking east along Queen from Noble Street, past Dufferin to the railway tracks, 1954. The Gladstone Hotel in the distance.  There is a Shell gas station on the southwest corner, and although it’s difficult to see, a policeman is standing in the intersection directing traffic.

black and white photo from Toronto Public library digital archives

source: Toronto Public Library digital archives.  Photographer – James V. Salmon

 

below: Southwest corner today …. that Shell station is long gone. A newer condo development fills that corner (built since 2010).

man crossing Dufferin st at Queen, looking west

person in red rain coat crossing queen street west at dufferin, painted sidewalk box in abstract design in the foreground, railway underpass with traffic in the background

below: The stone wall along the east side of Dufferin looks very similar to that of 1954.  The buses have been modernized though – we now have new shiny red hybrids.

newer lectric hybrid TTC bus northbound on Dufferin at Queen

The “Dufferin Jog” was fixed in 2010 when another railway bridge was built.

below: Looking north up Dufferin during the construction of the bridge, 2010.  This is another image from the City of Toronto archives.

construction of the bridge for CN rail and GO transit, to eliminate the dufferin jog, 2010, from city of toronto archives

source: Fonds 601, Series 2860, File 4, Item 1 (City of Toronto archives)

below: North on Dufferin today (not exactly the same view as above).  Bus lanes, or rather transit priority lanes, have recently been painted red.  The red brick building on the east side of Dufferin still remains.

looking north on dufferin from the railway bridge at Queen Street west

below: There are changes coming to the northwest corner of the intersection.  This photo was taken from the corner of Noble and Queen and is generally north looking.

northwest corner of Queen & Dufferin, photo taken from corner of Noble and Queen and looking northeast, vacant lot, buildings have been demolished

below: Hoardings on the north side of Queen

hoardings beside sidewalk on northwest part of queen and dufferin

below: The view behind the hoardings

vacant lot, behind hoardings, buildings already demolished

To the west of the tracks is the Parkdale neighbourhood with its colours and idiosyncrasies.

queen stret west looking west from dufferin, rainy gray morning, with traffic and a TTC streetcar

pale blue door with windows that have been covered with a floral pattern, green door frame, large store windows have been covered in blue

Rustic Cosmos Cafe sign with cow in a teacup. cow is wearing a black top hat and high heel shoes

Alexander felafel on the corner of Queen and Gwynne

side entrances to a building, two doors with 4 mailboxes between them. one of the doors is covered with stickers

billboard on side of old brick building, with text that says made you look. it's an advertisement for a store of that name

large street art mural on Queen west on side of building that is sound studio above and market below

The Milky Way runs parallel to Queen on the south side.  There has been lots of street here and I have blogged about it before, 5 times before as it turns out.  The first time was back on 2015 (Walking the Milky Way) and the most recent was in 2023 (Aging on the Milky Way)

where Milky Way meets Gwynne Ave., old houses on Gwynne

mural in Milky Way, grey tones, women's face, eyes closed

part of a mural in Milky Way, triangle shape with two eyes and words be aware!

graffiti sticker on a pole, a raccoon in a field of pumpkins

photo of a man's face, wearing sunglasses, pasteup graffiti on a pole

below: On the north side of the railway tracks, there is a pedestrian crossing and bike path.  There is also a quiet corner with a couple of benches.  The rest of the images in this post were taken on that pedestrian crossing.

beside the railway tracks, two benches

below: The Turd Reich – a wonderful series of paste-ups of our “favourite” men in uniform.   Donald Trump, Elon Musk, British MP Nigel Farage, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu,  JD Vance, and Vladimir Putin have been dressed up as World War II Nazi soldiers.  This collection first appeared in London, England about a year ago. They are they creation of Grow Up Art.

paper paste up graffiti on a glass wall beside railway tracks

below: A hole in the fence, with a well worn and muddy path!

a hole in the fence beside train tracks

fence, pedestrian crossing for bridge, with lots of graffiti on it,

below: Thing 1 and Thing 2, right out of the Cat in the Hat.

three paste up graffiti pieces on a concrete support to a pole. One is T bonez and trp 613 sailor dude dressed as thing 1 and thing 2 from Dr Suess Cat in the hat. second paste up is pink donut with a heart shaped hole and last is a white rabbit face

below: A little red X marks the spot

graffiti on wall, you are here, good bye 2025

below: We are all connected

paint on a glass wall, including words we are all connected

below: Every man needs a muse.  Who is your Venus?

graffiti with words Venus, every man needs a muse

little red graffiti face on white paint

graffiti stickers on city of toronto bike parking rings, pink iced donuts, visual noise,

graffiti stickers

graffiti stickers

yellow t bonez, visual noise, urban jinja,

graffiti stickers

graffiti stickers and slaps on a pole, by sentient cookie and geekypet,

below:  “Always remember you’re Heart & Soul, you are Loved 4 ever.  Trust me.”

love your 4 ever graffiti on red paint

Graffiti by: Catchoo, D7606, Feellings Boi, Geekypet, Sentient Cookie, Sketchrat,  TRP613, Urban Ninja Squadron, Visual Noise, Vivvy, Zonr (and others)

walking through railway underpass, beside woman waiting at a TTC bus stop

Biscuit Lane

Posted: April 18, 2026 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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Biscuit Lane runs behind the east side of Yonge Street for one block, running south from Charles Street.   It was named Biscuit in honour of William Christie (1829-1900), the man behind Mr. Christie cookies.   A young William Christie started his career working for another baker, William McConnell whose shop was on Yonge Street in this area.   According to Wikipedia, Christie was paid $4.00 per month plus given room and board –  he baked at night and then delivered the baked goods by handcart to customers in nearby Yorkville.  After two years he left McConnell to work at another bakery in the same neighbourhood.

It is a short, narrow lane with street art murals now on both sides.

below: A Toronto mural in a Toronto alley.

street art mural of downtown Toronto with CN tower, subway, union station rogers centre, tall buildings

below: More Toronto, painted by Thomas the Anonynous

street art mural of downtown Toronto with CN tower, subway, union station rogers centre, tall buildings

below: “I’ll always be here with you!”

street art mural, with pink heart, words in heart say I will always be here with you.

street art mural,

below:Cartoon characters & Pop culture references!  Bert doesn’t look too comfortable!

below: Inspector Gadget, one of the Smurfs, Betty Boop, Tweety Bird looking angry, Goofy isn’t sure what’s happening, Launchpad McQuack, and Droopy Dog.

below: Marge Simpson with her enormous blue hair, Yogi Bear, Jessica Rabbit, Bert, Woody Woodpecker, Little Hiawatha, The Mask and Huckleberry Hound.

below: Along one wall is a large mural by Ness Lee – women with long hair

part of a mural by ness lee, black woman with long hair swimming or floating in white wavy water

part of a mural by ness lee, black woman with long yellow hair

part of a mural by ness lee, black woman with long green or white hair

below: Looking north on Biscuit Lane

looking north up biscuit lane, street art or urban art on both sides

below: Wanted poster for what looks like the Pink Panther in black hat and shades.  Wanted for “harbouring stool pigeons near sanctuary”

below: “Wanted for keeping it 2 real”.   Marvin the Martian?

below: …. and even more (with some repeats)…..  A smug Pink Panther and a concussed Sylvester….  Beep! Beep!

street art covering a door with many cartoon characters, pink panther, garfield, wiley coyote, donald duck, daffy duck, elmer fudd, bugs bunny, tweetie bird,

below: It’s the alphabet all jumbled up in many colours, many ‘fonts’, and many sizes.

double door in alley, covered with street art which is letters of the alphabet all jumbled up together in many colours

street art mural by thomas the anonymous in biscuit lane

street art mural by thomas the anonymous in biscuit lane, including circular target with red bulls eye

below: Superhero time!  Superman, Spiderman, and more.

street art mural showing some comic book superheroes

street art mural on blue background, in biscuit lane

electrical box in alley painted red, with words painted on it, raptors phone

Toronto street sign for Biscuit Lane mounted on a pole in the corner of a lane

looking north up Biscuit Lane towards Charles Street, with tall building on southeast corner of Yonge & Bloor visible in the background

the smaller stuff too

Posted: January 16, 2026 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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…in Graffiti Alley

My previous post was also about a walk down a section of Graffiti Alley (Spadina to Portland).   This post is from the same walk –  because there were so many  images that I wanted to share, I decided to divide the fun into two parts.  This second part takes a closer look at some of the smaller pieces.

graffiti stickers covering signs at the entrance to graffiti alley where there is lots of street art in the background

below: Peeling paper hands….  A 33wallflower33 group of three women in their dashing outfits … and a charming man with devil’s horns and red glasses.

paper paste up graffiti on a door

below: Although it’s getting more difficult to see, there’s a Poser rabbit by the door.  The door is disappearing behind a layer or two of paper and paint.

a door covered with graffiti, with more street art paint on the walls beside it

below: There is a little pink stikman on the light above the door.

pink stikman graffiti on a light over a door in an alley

below: Once upon a time this skinny little guy was pink but ooops, a layer of paint and now he’s prematurely grey.

white stikman graffiti on a white wall behind metal bars

below: In her face – another stikman

small red stikman on yellow paint with a woman's face at the bottom layer

below: Last stikman for today… sometimes you find them tucked away in hard to see places.

green and black stikman hiding behind a hook with a black strap on it

below: Party line?  Four hands phone.

old phone booth but with 4 receivers, all covered with paint and graffiti

below:  A bleeding heart, a pansy flower, and a woman with a red hat and big ear rings.

small graffiti in graffiti alley, a red painted heart, paper paste ups of a pansy flower and a person's head

below: Polly wants a cracker before she takes over the world, or at least that’s what she told me.

paper paste up graffiti, one is a green bird with text that says bird takeover

below: A young woman with blue lipstick and jagged pink make up on her cheeks.  A spiked collar is around her neck.  Make of it what you will.

graffiti, woman with blue lips and spikey black hair, beside word peace stenciled twice in paint

below: Another young woman,  this time she’s a little softer (at least in appearance) – drawn by Catchoo.

below: Multiple Sailor dudes (trp613) in two varieties hanging out with a happy little catchoo critter and its smiley daisy balloon.

lots of paper pasteup graffiti in graffiti alley, one is a catchoo character holding a daisy shaped balloon

below: “Save me”!

paper pasteup graffiti in graffiti alley, including a blue floppy disc with text that says save me, by catchoo

below:  It looks like catchoo has been busy.

graffiti on a wall in graffiti alley

below: More of that wall.

lots of slaps, graffiti on a wall in graffiti alley

below: Darth Vader makes an appearance too.  Who’s that man peeking through the hole?

orange skull, graffiti on a wall in graffiti alley, also Darth Vader,

urban ninja squadron and others, graffiti on a wall in graffiti alley

below: One flower sprouts a bald person while the other produces a sunny orb.  That black octopus doesn’t look very happy – perhaps in this winter weather it needs more than just a woolly toque.

paint graffiti in graffiti alley, black octopus wearing a red toque

below: There are those women again!

33wallflower33 sticker of three flapper women

below: Dogma slaps standing tall in his puffy jacket and bright red mitts.

2 slaps graffiti on a wall already covered with street art paint. One is a dog, standing on two feet and dressed in human clothes - or perhaps it is a man with a dogs head

below: Riding a D7606 crayon – T-bonez always finds new adventures.

paste up graffiti high on a wall, t-bonez, from urban ninja squadron is riding a large orange crayon with D 7606 (name of another artist) on it,

collection of stickers, graffiti alley,

below: A collaboration between Tamm Shinzo and April Showers Art produced this little round piece – sitting on top of the clouds with the moon shining over her shoulder.

round paper paste up on a utility pole in Graffiti Alley,

below: Cryptid Supremacy – a rat with a very long tail

pink background with drawing of a rat sitting on a bench, long tail, words: cryptid supremacy

below: More rats, this time “the rat race is rigged”.  Also another skull (skulls are very popular!), this time by Broke Canvas (aka Colin Green) on yellow.   And third, is it a rainbow or a very sad face?  – slap by Rider Waitress (aka Frances Sousa)

graffiti on a wall, a black rat with words the rat race is rigged, a yellow square with a drawing of a skull by broke canvas, and last a rainbow with two flowers that looks like a sad face, by rider waitress

below: While we’re dealing with rats – Squee!  They are all fleeing from an NYC trash can.  Don’t litter!

a sticker on a wall in graffiti alley, mice fleeing from a trash can, squeee

below: Another small collection – Catchoo shows up on a soy sauce bottle while a Sentient Cookie (aka Cecil Tian) character gets taped to the wall… remember that banana?!   And last, in the top left corner, a Cartoon Car Slaps.

catchoo soya sauce bottle, sentient cookie paste up and a cartoon slaps slap, garffiti on a wall in graffiti alley

below: Juice box time. By Clem Crevetz

sticker on metal pipes in graffiti alley, man sitting, with juice box in his hands

small green fish sticker beside a lock on a door

small graffiti painting, black line drawing of a face, with very pointy chin, on white background

elicser elliott painting of a woman in rabbit ears, drinking a can of pop

graffiti where is my $$

alley graffiti stickers, blepser and nervo
pasteup little character in white suit, probably marcel morceau, the mime artist

elle was here, written on sidewalk in pink

Graffiti Alley – first visit of 2026

Posted: January 13, 2026 in alleys, graffiti and street art
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circular, concentric, calligraphy, stylized, street art painting with a profile of a person with eyes closed

This blog post is a quick look some of the “art” that can be seen in Graffiti Alley at the moment. There is lot on display even though I only walked between Spadina and Portland so this post focuses on the murals and larger paintings that I saw. The smaller stickers and paste ups will be in a subsequent post (sooner rather than later I hope!).

below: Blue birds and big ugly black dogs.

two murals, street art painting, graffiti alley, blue bird with open wins, but feet on pine branch, in background is a squat heavy set black and white dog mural

below: A portrait of Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine’s blue and yellow colours.

portrait of zelensky, ukrainian leader president, in blue and yellow, street art mural

below: Daisy, in rabbit ears

word daisy written on arm of girl in street art painting, graffiti alley, she has black rabbit ears

below: On one of the corners, there is a long grey mural with bits of red….

below: “A lone samurai known as Ghost stands on watch”.   A story and a mural by Dewucme

below: Portraits painted on skateboards – there has been a collection of such portraits hanging here for at least a year.  I am not sure if these three are newer, or if I just forgot them last time.  (Link to blog post of skateboards from 2025).  I have updated the 2025 post to include a few photos that I took last week of other skateboard portraits that I didn’t see a year ago.

graffiti alley, portraits on broken skateboard,

below:  Portrait by Bunso

black and white portrait, street art mural, graffiti alley, man in white t shirt and black cap, smiling,

below:  Other part of the above mural, but painted by a different artist (I think)

black and white portrait of a man

below: In memory of Andre Campbell

blue trash bins and black garbage bags piled in front of street art mural, black and white portrait of a man with short dark hair and glasses, with text that says in memory of Andre Campbell

below:  Behind the Queen Street stores

parking areas and back yards of stores on Queen street, graffiti alley view, three storeys, with balconies across the back street art and graffiti on fences

below: Painting on hoardings as downtown redevelopment (and subway construction) slowly encroaches on the Queen and Spadina neighbourhood.

tiger and dragon street art mural on hoardings in an alley in Toronto

below: “Find peace in your chaos” Plus, it seems to be wearing shirt and tie but it’s also drooling and looking just a little unhinged!

words on sidewalk that say find peace in your chaos, below a painting of a pink monster head with white eyes and big white teeth

squished face, monstrous, big eyes with orange pupils, big white teeth with gums bleeding above one tooth

monster faces, graffiti alley, street art, with snowman underneath

below: Monstrous television screen head with bloody gums and matching tie.

monster faces, graffiti alley, street art, big teeth, with a head shaped like a television screen

tree in front, looking across alley to side of building, completely covered in street art painting, graffiti alley

street art painting, graffiti alley, purple face, blue hands with thumbs up

street art painting, graffiti alley

below: “Who you gonna call?”  Ghostbusters green slimey thing!

street art mural in graffiti alley with green slime creature from Ghostbusters movie in center

below: He’s got one big eye and a scowl on his face.  There’s a burning cigarette in his mouth and the Ace of hearts is tucked into his hat band.  Quite the character.

two garage door murals in graffiti alley

below:  Not all cats are cute?

ugly cat, yellow, with bulging green eyes, street art mural, with two monkey faces, graffiti alley

below:  A woman with her purple hair tied up with little glowing (but ghostly) lanterns in a mural by MonkYi

street art painting by Monk Yi, woman holding a blue fan, with her hair tied up and two little lanterns in her hair, big gold ear rings.

street art painting, graffiti alley, large red and yellow daisy by catchoo, wad of money bills with arms and legs and a face too

street art painting, graffiti alley, on a door, woman with black hair, red lips, and red clothing that looks a lit like flames, red hot

street art painting, graffiti alley, pink tiger, with pink hearts

below: Climbing green onions (scallions?)?  An upside down blue goose?  … And in the middle, yellow siu mai (Chinese open-topped steamed dumplings, a dim sum favorite), all images from the imagination of Mixt Paints aka Kelcy Timmins Chan

purple naked person climbing a bunch of green onions a light blue duck with yellow beak that is diving downwards, street art painting by mixt paintz

below: There’s that snowman again, but on a different wall and surrounded by graffiti

a little white snowman with carrot nose and black buttons, street art painting on a wall covered with graffiti, graffiti alley

below: Ninos Libres, by Kalaruno

street art portrait of a child by Kalaruno, ninos libres

below:  Another Kalaruno painting

lumber and trash in front of a mural in graffiti alley, grey squarish character with human face by Kalaruno

below: At least it’s a step up from tagging…..

red, black, and white mural in graffiti alley

below: A green finger on the trigger.

side by side, two smaller street art painting, graffiti alley, on left is green hand and pink spray paint can while on right is a stupid round face with big oval teeth

behind store, graffiti alley view, pile of empty boxes and trash at bottom of stairs, with doors with street art in orange and blue

graffiti and street art under stairs, green turtle, mushrooms

below: Blue.  And strange looking.  He’s hanging out in the doorway.

street art painting, graffiti alley, in doorway, blue faced weird looking man

below: An introspective dragon

a street art painting of a greenish grey dragon with the word introspection in orange across its body

 

street art in graffiti alley

below: And last, many thanks to the usual Wednesday Gang!

people walking down a wet alley, puddles and reflections on the pavement, of the street art and graffiti on the surrounding walls

 

Edna and more

Posted: January 9, 2026 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations, transportation
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TTC streetcar pulling out f Dundas West station and onto street, intersection of Bloor and Dundas West

It had been a grey and slightly damp morning when I was out walking.  As I headed to the subway to go home, the clouds cleared and the sun came out.  So I kept walking north of Dundas West station.  Edna Avenue is the street that runs parallel to Bloor immediately north of the station.

below: Edna Avenue, looking east towards Dundas Street West.

edna avenue, residential street with tall condo at the end, looking east towards Dundas St.,

below:  Edna seems to have a Guardian watching over her.

mannequin or sculpture of a person in a helmet, sitting on the front porch of a house,

below:  There is an alley that runs north from Edna and the sunshine beckoned.

start of an alley that runs north from Edna Avenue, houses, garages, blue sky,

below: T-shirt sale at the One Stop Shop!

truck parked beside building, graffiti on back of truck

below: The sun sets and rises eternally, apparently.

old garage with corrugated metal wall, graffiti on metal that says the sun sets and rises eternally

below: A little Catchoo daisy sticker caught my eye.

cathcoo daisy sticker on a post in an alley

below:  There was also a 33wallflower33 paste-up with a few little catchoo stickers on her gorgeous white outfit.

33 wallflower 33 pasteup of woman in a white coat with furry collar

below: Faded bricks like faded jeans.  They are a little rough around the edges too.

faded blue paint on old brick wall, some bricks cracking and crumbling

below: Chairs, backyard chairs.

laneway views, back of house, two old turquoise metal chairs against house, leaves (autumn) on the ground, small satellite dish on roof,

below: Backyard picnic tables too.

view from lane, backyard with picnic tables, apartment building in the background, sunny day, leaves on ground

looking north up an alley with garages, tree with no leaves, november weather,

 

below: Raccoons on the roof!  Mural by Mel Coleman.

mural in a backyard by alywyz murals, black raccoons on top of a house, with window, greenery beside the house,

below: More backyards – or at least, backs of houses

back of 2 houses, alley view

garage door with blue, teal, and green leafy background and word chill in white cursive

below: Another chair

small table and chair outside, agains beige wall, shadows, autumn leaves on ground, sunny day, alley view

below: Cassette tape (remember those?!) and supersized pencil.  If you had tapes, you always had a pencil handy, just in case!  Back in 2020, this mural was fairly new.   You can check out “faceless in an alley” if you want to see the whole mural before the one wall was defaced.

street art painting on the side of a white garage in an alley, line drawing in black of a person sitting on a bench wearing baseball cap, body is a cassette tape

below: Another ghost from the past – a ghetto blaster proudly carried on his shoulder

part of a street art mural on a garage in an alley, white man with ghetto blaster on his shoulder

below: The mural is an Ex-Vandals piece, or at least references them.  On the left in this image are the words Dino Nod – he was one of the founding members of the Ex-Vandal crew (formed in 1971 in Brooklyn NY).

street art on the side of a garage in an alley, also a small window jutting out from roof, wood,

street art painting, grey dog pumping biceps to show off hi muscles, bulge in muscle

below: Red and green men too.

old wood garage covered with street art murals
garage door with street art, red man with arms folded, maroon man, blue and teal background,

below:  A couple of blocks north of Edna is Glenlake, and here we are looking east towards Dundas.

large tree, vacant lot, on Glenlake, looking east towards Dundas West

below:  Glenlake and Dundas.   When I was double checking Google maps for the names of these streets, I discovered that this used to be a store that sold flowers and other things.  Where there is no grass beside the building, was once a fenced in area with plants for sale.

southwest corner of Glenlake and Dundas, old brick store with large window, looking across Dundas to older industrial or warehouse buildings, brick

below: Just north of the Glenlake/Dundas intersection is the large bridge over the railway tracks that connects Dundas to the West Toronto Railpath.

bridge over the train tracks that connect west toronto railpath with dundas street west, graffiti covered

below: The concrete supports for the bridge were painted with nature scenes many years ago. The weeds have grown up and the artwork has faded.

weeds and grasses growing up around concrete supports to a bridge that once had painting of flowers on it, now faded

below: Blobs, curls (by Flips), stars, and Spy vs Spy

graffiti on building at bottom of stairs

Dundas Street west, graffiti and street art on a building

below: Looking up the stairs (but not walking up – I’ll leave that for another day).

stairs to bridge over the railway, with graffiti on the wall

below: Instead I turn around.  This is a big part of the view that you see as you walk down the stairs – a large, striking, mural by Kizmet32 .

street art mural by kizmet, red faces with white eyes, some blue highlights, 2 faces, very large

below: I now know that these metal utility poles can be used to make “music”.  All you need is a big stick or two.

man leaning against a metal utility pole on sidewalk, a stick in each hand, bicycle lying on the ground beside, banging on pole with sticks

below: Walking back to Dundas West station to finish for the day.

people on sidewalk, walking south on Dundas towards Bloor

paste up graffiti, black ink on white paper, behind a chainlink fence beside a TTC subway station, Urban ninja squadron, visual noise,

below: Slightly off on a tangent – for those of you who follow such things, the Giraffe Building on the northeast corner of Dundas West and Bloor is still there, and still empty.

people crossing intersection of Bloor and Dundas West, giraffe building on the northwest corner, TTC streetcar in the background

close up of spray paint and splotchy graffiti in many colours on an old metal garage door

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