There is a mural on Richmond Street West of a boy lying on his stomach, feet in the air, as he searches on what looks to be a smart phone. Not long after this mural was painted, it was tagged with ugly black markings. There was only one tag but it ruined the picture. Sometime in the recent past, the mural has been cleaned up and/or re-painted. It’s great to see it restored and looking terrific!
The painting is by Mikha. Other images of his work can be found on his instagram page.
As you may know, every few months I wander down Rush Lane and all the other lanes that make up Graffiti Alley on the south side of Queen West. There is usually something new on the walls and hydro poles and there are often people watching opportunities as well. Wednesday’s walk did not disappoint. Here is the photographic evidence – some street art that I saw for the first time and some worth a second look… and even a person or two.
below: Taking selfies is an artform in itself.
below: Making a video in one of the side alleys.
below: A home for hundreds of stickers, all nicely frames together
below: This poser bunny takes the spotlight.
below: A new piece, with some older poser bunnies in the background.
below: When I first saw this piece (by elicser?) I thought that he had his heart in his hands. As I look at it more, I’m not so sure. Any ideas? Also, “How long do we have?” An open question, an incomplete question, a mysterious question, or a question of philosophy. You see, one question leads to another.
below: This one isn’t new and isn’t particularly outstanding, but the way the sun was shining on it caught my eye. A bit of a silly comment – I’ll assume that W C doesn’t stand for water closet!
below: Donald Trump and the lovebot share a pole. Poor lovebot 😦
below: Street art by gems
below: One more new street art piece
below: Talking trash says “She’s bound to put a blanket on my bed”.
below: A small blue airplane and another little blue thing, all that remains of a larger mural painted long ago.
below: Apparently he doesn’t miss us?
below: Oh no! Stikman is behind bars and lovebot’s been restrained.
below: A seat and a smoke at break time. Maybe he’s texting his girlfriend about the weirdos he sees in the alley. Or maybe he took my picture and he’s adding it to his instagram collection of strangers in the lane! 🙂
below: A protest piece. A play on the national anthem. Oh Canada our home on native land.
below: One word of warning if you plan to walk this alley in the late afternoon, you may be dodging cars that are trying to avoid Queen Street traffic.
below: But you’ll also be entertained by those who get stuck. It’s especially amusing when it’s the more aggressive drivers who are thwarted. It is a working alley, not a street, after all.
I decided to head to Pape and Danforth on Friday, on a very hot & humid afternoon. The Danforth was just beginning to get ready for the Taste of the Danforth weekend festival. I stopped for a bottle of water and tried to find a bit of shade while I figured out where to walk. The street was still quiet. The day was hot and humid and no one was moving quickly. Not many photos to be had there. Instead, I decided to walk a few of the alleys north of the Danforth between Pape and Donlands.
below: No famous graffiti artist has left their mark in your neighbourhood? No problem, make your own!
A collection of icons with even the bricks painted into the picture.
below: Three garage doors with street art including one by spud.
below: Cruz1art (aka Angel Carillo) and a girl power pink skull by dudeman
below: “Turn the lights off and look to the sky”
below: I’m used to seeing ‘No Trespassing’ or ‘Keep Out’ signs but not so many ‘Keep Off’.
below: A happy Uber5000 birdie knitting away, a close knit street art painting.
below: Another creature by Cruz1
below: Two more painted garage doors, very linear, very stylized and abstracted.
below: A play on the word ‘cool’. Snowy words and a penguin with sunglasses. Unfortunately it didn’t make me feel cooler but only slightly nostalgic for winter. Only slightly!
below: On the left is “destroy and rebuild” and on the right is “We are 1, [illegible] mi gente siempre”. The last bit is Spanish and translates to “My people forever”
below: I think there was a point to this picture, but I’m not sure what it is.
below: Since this stretch of the Danforth has been “Greektown” for as long as I can remember, it makes sense to find street art in Greek. In this case, Greek love.
below: A slight chuckle, the next garage door is the translation.
below: Insert a little rant about horrid TTC concrete fences here. At least someone has found a way to brighten one of them up. This one is right beside the entrance to Donlands subway station.
A few more pictures….
below: A survivor. A lone white rose amongst dead roses. May you all survive the heat of summer!
British mural artist Phlegm has been painting a large mural on the side of 1 St. Clair West. The first time I saw it, was on the 14th of July when it looked liked this:
below: The white background of the mural was painted first.
I have been watching it, checking up on it every couple of days. At first I took photos fairly frequently because I had no idea how long it would take before the mural was finished.
below: 19th July
As it turns out, there is a lot of detail in the mural! It slowly took shape.
below: 21st July
below: Fast forward to today…. the mural is almost finished. …
but wait! Isn’t that the CN tower on the shoulder?
below: Hey! It is the CN tower. And isn’t that the Gooderham/flatiron building? And that building with the little dome, isn’t that on Yonge street?
below: There’s the ROM and its ‘crystal’ too! This is the ‘bottom’ of the figure and in this photo two things become clearer. First, the scale of the project and just how big the mural is becomes apparent. Second, the mural is of a person coming out of the earth, being pulled out by the roots almost. But is it a person? Or is it a living city?
below: The head part – play ‘spot the building’! Is that old city hall?
below: Scalliwags is on one of the knees along with a lot of trees.
below: And last, the feet with more roots at the heels
This project is also a part of the STEPS Initiative program.
This post also appears in a blog about street art. Phelgm’s Progress.
Just before Dupont Street ends at Dundas West, it passes under a set of railway tracks…
and of course another underpass means another mural.
It is an Art Starts project “honouring the Junction and paying homage to its industrial past rooted in the railway and celebrating its development as a diverse neighbourhood oriented community. ” Lead artists Joshua Barndt and Jamie Bradbury along with 5 youth artists took 4 weeks to complete the mural.
The mural was funded by the City of Toronto’s Graffiti Transformation Program.
Cycling is used as a theme and as a way of traveling from the past to the future in the mural.
below: The final panel in the mural, a future friendly city.
There is a railway underpass on Dupont just before it meets Dundas West. Several years ago the north side of the underpass was decorated with some murals. Most of them are in bad shape or have been tagged or painted over.
below: Unity is one of the original murals here. It is the best preserved.
This wall has also become a place to comment on life in words and and poetry.
below: Through the fires of chaos, let there be light! ~ ” blessed be!”
“The man who misses all the fun is he who says it can’t be done.
With solemn pride he stands aloof and greets each venture with reproof.
Had he the power he’d efface the history of the human race
There’d be no motor cars or streets lit by electric stars
No telegraph nor telephone. We’d all linger in the age of stone.
The world could not be run by men who say it can’t be done”
– Druid
Been through rough times – keep your head up!The poem in the above transcription comes from ‘The Book of Virtues’ by William J. Bennett with one little change. The last line in the original is as follows: “The world would sleep if things were run By men who say “It can’t be done.”
***
below: When I researched the source of the message below I discovered that it was from a poem by Rumi. He was a 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic amongst other things but apparently he’s also one of the most widely read poets in North America.
The lines of the poem are translated/shared in slightly different ways including
“Somewhere beyond right and wrong, there is a garden. I will meet you there.”
and
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I’ll meet you there.”
***
below: Things aren’t what they seem? I’m not sure if you noticed it, but someone has added, very faintly, “sometimes it’s a gold pot”.
below: Someone’s commentary on the world today.
“Teens fight but don’t know what 4.
It’s really sad 2 see them _e.
Teens killed at subway stations,
young innocent girls being stalked by perverted men.
When will it all end,
what will happen 2 us.
What’s Happining 2 The World Today?”***
But not a running, or even a jogging, track! No, yesterday’s walk was an oval-ish loop at walking pace from Dundas West station, up one side of the railway tracks and back down the other.
below: Just past the subway station I saw the mural on “The Friendly Trini’s” which is now closed. If the mural is telling the truth, they once served butter chicken, curried goat roti, jerk chicken with rice and peas, as well as drinks in coconuts and pineapples. Feeling hungry already, and I’ve only just begun my walk.
below: Also on Dundas West, the King’z Convenience and Dollar Store which sells Filipino products and delicacies is adjacent to the Slovenija meat & delicatessen. Multicultural. I regret not taking pictures of the window of the Slovenian store – juice and beer brands that were unfamiliar to me.
below: Detail, boy riding an old fashioned bike on a little hook above a door.
below: And someone has decorated their balcony.
below: Just before I reached the bridge over the railway tracks I saw these words on a wall.
below: The dream theme continues on the metal steps up to the bridge. This one was small and I almost missed it. I’m not sure if it was painted black to blend into the background, or if the painting was an attempt to “clean up” the graffiti when prying off the letters proved to be too difficult (the D is broken so maybe someone tried). Insert words about killing other people’s dreams here.
below: From the top of the steps looking south. The minimalist new Bloor GO and UP (Union Pearson) station is finished, top left of the photo. Don’t you think we should call it ‘Get UP and GO’? The street is Dundas West and yes, that mural is new.
below: Helping to hold up the bridge, west side of the tracks. He’s carrying the weight of the world, or maybe just the bridge, on his shoulders.
After crossing the bridge, I walked north along the West Toronto Railpath. The fencing along the path has all been upgraded. There used to be some spots where you could get through the fence (non-railway side) but those are gone. Between the tracks and the path there is a new clear (glass? plastic?) fence. Of course it has already been ‘vandalized’ or ‘tagged’ – choose your verb. Because I was there on a sunny afternoon, the sun was shining through the ‘artwork’ and making interesting designs. A few thistles and other weeds added some compositional elements.
There were quite a few hearts on my route, especially around the Dupont exit of the Railpath.
below: Many hearts on the fence.
below: A heart for Hex and Nish wherever, and whomever, they may be.
below: Three heart balloons on the Dupont sign. You can get a good view of the fence here.
below: Part of the West Toronto Railpath runs alongside Planet Storage, an large old brick building. There used to be a lot of street art along the side of the building but it’s all been painted over. A few tattle tale remnants remain.
below: My favorite, little details like the bright yellow giraffe looking at the clouds.
below: There is one mural on the Railpath, the back of Osler’s Fish Market is covered with a fish and fishing themed mural.
below: Fish heads in the weeds. Queen Anne’s lace, that plant with the white flowers, was growing in abundance along the path. You might know it by its other name, Wild Carrot.
below: A splash of red on a street just off the railpath.
below: The sign on the table says: “Hi! La Witch Cat here. Enjoy the space, but PLEASE do not litter. I provided a garbage can. Use it! This includes cigarette butts. Put in trash once extinguished. Thanks! XXO”. Marvellous! I sooo agree with the part about cigarette butts. Why do people who don’t litter still consider it okay to throw cigarette butts wherever they please? I smiled but I didn’t stop to rest.
below: At one point I found myself at this intersection. What is a pedestrian to do? It’s possible I walked where I shouldn’t have, or at least where foot traffic is rare. All the roads in the photo are Dundas West; it’s where the street splits as it approaches Dupont and Annette. There was a small park behind me, called Traffic Island park. The name sums it up I think.
below: A lament for the streetscape. One more line in an elegy to public spaces. The result of a half hearted attempt. Massive hydro poles on the narrow sidewalk. A large ad. A green space that needs attention. If you look carefully, you can see a plaque on a small stand.
below: This is the plaque. According to the words, this strip of land was replanted in 2001-2003 with a number of native species with the plan that they would spread and “create an oasis in the middle of the city”. It mentions three plants – Nannyberry tree, Staghorn sumac, and Bottlebrush grass. Disconnect alert.
below: On my way back to the subway station I spotted this 24 hour lovebot.
…. that was where I walked yesterday but before I leave, a few small details. Ciao!
It’s good to see the ‘Hug Me!’ tree is still on Queen Street!
If you look closely in the background of the above photo, you can spot the reason I was exploring this section of Queen St West (near Soho St). Along the wall by the parking lot is a new mural.
below: Floating man, floating down the river with an photo from the past clutched in his hand. “Tona as Marty McFly Disappearing Photos” by Elicser Elliott. It is another of the Love Letter to the Great Lakes project murals.
There were two other Love Letter murals that I came here to find.
below: If you look up as you walk along Queen Street West you might catch a glimpse of this mural by JAZ (Franco Fasoli). Arms, or tentacles, seem to be reaching out of the water and strangling the fish.
below: The third mural is around the corner from the other two, on Bulwer Street. It’s a large portrait of David Suzuki painted by Kevin Ledo. The blue shapes on the right are outlines of fish (atlantic salmon apparently) but I cut their tails off when I took the picture.
below: I haven’t walked along Bulwer St for a while so it was nice to see that this (unsigned?) mural is still there even though someone has spray painted some words on it.
below: One last little find on Bulwer, a circuit board stikman
Other posts about the Love Letter to the Great Lakes project murals:
#seawallsTO | #pangeaseed | #loveletterprojects
Today I walked the southern part of the Lower Don River trail. It’s not the most relaxing place to walk even though the path follows the river. I have a habit of absentmindedly meandering and I didn’t want to meander right into a cyclist on the narrow shared path. There was constant background noise from the cars and trucks on the nearby Don Valley Parkway but it was the GO trains that made the most noise as they rumbled right beside me. Yes, you are correct, it’s not my favorite place to walk. But I also knew that there was a reward near the end of the trail.
Near the ‘mouth of the Don River’ (in reality, where the Don River turns into the Keating Channel), there are some new murals on the bents supporting the ramps between the DVP and the Gardiner Expressway. They are part of the Love Letter to the Great Lakes project. A previous blog post, love letters in paint, concerned the murals from this project that were painted near Ossington and Queen West.
below: If you approach the area from the north, this is the first bent that you see. All sides of it have been painted by Kirsten McCrea. If you are driving south on the Don Valley Parkway and you exit to the Gardiner westbound, you drive right over this, and the next few, bents. In case you haven’t guessed, a bent is that concrete support thingy holding up the road.
below: The other side of the McCrea mural is in the background, behind the bent that has been painted by PA System (Patrick Thompson and Alexa Hatanaka). Amongst the swirly watery shapes there is a face near the top. Extra bit: The guy on the bike stopped to take a photo too.
below: The other side of the PA System bent. A large fish fits perfectly in the upper portion while a hand reaches up from the vertical part.
below: The work of MC Baldassari who is currently from Montreal.
below: The other side of the above bent. It looks like the woman has come through the pillar.
below: A woman with a mouse in her hand and a flower in her hair kneels beside the foxes,
a mural painted by EGR (Erica Balon). In the background you can see a much taller bent that has been painted blue. This bent is on a different ramp, the ramp that you would find yourself on if you were driving east on the Gardiner and then exiting to the DVP. It has been painted by Jason Botkin and it includes the word Wonscotanach. Apparently that was the First Nations name for the river before John Graves Simcoe came along in 1790 and decided to call it the Don River.
below: There are more animals on the other sides, along with a city lit up in the night in the background of the mural. Raccoon, rabbit and a pink butterfly fluttering past.
below: Rajni Perera‘s mural features red and yellow women walking or standing in the water.
below: Looking back
below: A collaborative effort by Jarus and Kwest beside the Don Valley trail, just north of the other murals.
below: And one last photo before leaving the area… a quick note sprayed on a concrete support.
I was walking along Queen Street West near Shaw St when pieces of paper on the wood construction hoardings around one of the buildings caught my eye. The installation is no longer intact, but the pieces are still compelling. The mural consisted of many faces of black men. Even though some of the faces are peeling away, they still look like they are looking at you (or the camera). Apparently there is another similar mural a bit farther west (by 1050 Queen St. West) but with black and white outlines and highlights instead of red, blue, yellow and green.
It may be cheating a bit, but the next picture is from a screen shot of a photo from the artist’s (lavishbat, #oluseye) instagram account. It shows the whole piece as it was originally.
as I walk Toronto 