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a lap around the tracks

Posted: July 27, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: blue sky, dream, Dundas West, fence, flowers, glass, graffiti, hearts, I have a dream, images, Junction, love, lovebot, mural, paint, photographs, photos, pictures, plants, Queen Anne's lace, red, restaurant, sidewalk, street, weeds, West Toronto Railpath, yellow

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!

The Bentway

Posted: July 25, 2016 in locations, nature, transportation
Tags: bathurst, Bentway, canoe landing park, city, condos, construction, core, demolition, development, downtown, fences, fort york, Gardiner Expressway, Lakeshore Blvd., Loblaws, public space, railway, Spadina, strachan, urban, waterfront, western Gardiner

The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly just called the Gardiner, has been in the news a lot lately. This 18 km stretch of road between the city and the lake was completed in 1965 after years of planning and building. At the time that it was built, Toronto’s waterfront was largely industrial and there wasn’t much objection to having a 4 to 6 lane expressway, with many sections elevated, built there. The railway had begun the process of dividing the city from its waterfront a hundred years previously.

As the city changes and grows, more and more people live in the downtown core. Industry has moved out and residents have moved in. For so long the land south of the Gardiner as well as under the Gardiner was neglected, especially from a city planning point of view. But now, the city is looking differently at that swath of land. The far east elevated section between the Don Valley Parkway and Leslie Street was demolished in 2001 and there have been calls for the next section (Jarvis to the DVP) to be demolished as well. There has been some controversy as to whether to demolish it or move it… and if move it, where to? I am not even sure what the plans are at the moment. On the other hand, the western section of the elevated expressway (Strachan to Spadina) will remain standing. Work is underway to refurbish the structure – the city doesn’t want any more stories of pieces of concrete dropping onto cars beneath! Plans are being implemented to use the land under the Gardiner much more efficiently. To make it work for the public.

The Bentway is the name that has been given to this new park, or public space, beneath the Gardiner Expressway from Strachan 1.4 kilometres east to Spadina. The first phase is due to open Canada Day 2017 and it involves the stretch between Strachan and Bathurst. Many of you have probably driven on the Gardiner but do any of you know what is under it now? Let’s take a look.

below: The Gardiner passes over Strachan Avenue which in turn passes over the railway tracks.

below: On Strachan Ave looking west. Condo development in this area has extended right to the railway line. The Exhibition GO train station is in the distance. You can also see the Gardiner to the left of the tracks. Here the north side of the under part of the expressway is walled in and the enclosed space is used by Exhibition Place. At this time there is no plan for the Bentway to extend this far; I have used this photo to provide more context as to the location of the park.

below: A closer look at the Gardiner on the west side of Strachan Avenue. Maybe there is potential to expand the park westward? to Exhibition GO station? And by the way, those concrete structures holding up the expressway – those are called ‘bents’ and that is why the park is called what it is.

below: This photo was taken as I stood on Garrison Common and looking towards Strachan Avenue. This will be the western end of the new park. You can see the underside of the Gardiner as it passes over Strachan Ave which in turn is also a bridge. This bridge once crossed the Grand Trunk Railway tracks that were built in the 1850s. New entrances to the park are planned that incorporate the present sloped embankment of the bridge.

below: A quick aside: It’s a slightly different angle, but here is a photo of the Strachan Avenue bridge from 1959, before the Gardiner was built. I suspect that there has been upgrades made to the bridge since then. Photo credit: R.L. Kennedy, found online (also a good source for the history of the Grand Trunk Railway in Toronto). Garrison Common is to the right.

Garrison Common is the green space surrounding Fort York. It will abut (be continuous with?) the new Bentway. Fort York is a National Historic Site and on its 43 acre site are original buildings from the War of 1812 as well as an 1813 battle site. Did you know that the Americans beat us here in 1813 and controlled the city of York (as Toronto was known then) for a few days?

below: The new Fort York Visitors Centre is now open. There is still being work done both inside and outside, but it is open to visitors. For so long the fort was hidden away and difficult to get to; it is nice to see it receiving more attention.

below: Jake from Park People, one of the groups helping to design the new park, stands under the Gardiner as he talks to a group of us on a tour. Here, by Fort York, the Gardiner is the equivalent of 5 storeys from ground level, the highest it reaches as it crosses the city.

below: Standing on the grounds of Fort York. The Bentway will be beyond the stone wall. You can get a good idea of the spacing between the bents. These spaces are being referred to as ‘rooms’ and there are 55 of them between Strachan and Spadina.

below: One obstacle is the fact that Fort York Blvd passes under the Gardiner on a diagonal. Plans are to build a pedestrian/cycle bridge over the street. Also in the photo, note the TTC bus – Fort York and vicinity are finally on a bus route. Route 121 runs between the Portlands and Fort York via Union Station.

below: The section under the Gardiner Expressway between Bathurst Street and Fort York Blvd is not city owned. It is owned, and has already been developed, by the Onni Group who built the Garrison at Fort York condominiums on either side of it. This is the eastern end of phase 1.

below: Northbound traffic on Bathurst passes under the Gardiner.

Phase 2 of the park’s development involves land between Bathurst and Spadina. This is an area that is undergoing a lot of changes at the moment, i.e. a lot of construction.

below: Immediately south of the Gardiner on the northeast corner of Bathurst and Lakeshore is a construction site. Demolition of the old 1928 Loblaws warehouse building is now complete. The facade of the old building was disassembled rather than demolished; after cleaning and refurbishing of the bricks, it will be rebuilt in its original location. Two condo towers are planned for the space between Loblaws and the Gardiner. Yes, more condo towers to face the Gardiner and add to the tunnel effect that you get when you drive on the expressway.

below: The development of this site is a collaboration between a number of developers. I found a photo of one rendition (source) of what the space under the Gardiner will look like here in the future. Public space including a cafe are part of the plans. Check back in a couple of years to see what really happens here!

below: Standing on Bathurst Street, looking east along what will be Housey Street. This is just north of where the Loblaws development (above) will be. As you can see, you can’t walk there yet.

below: Southeast corner of Bathurst and Fort York Blvd. This is the section of land just north of Housey Street. Construction hoardings and cranes – familiar sights in this area. It also means that taking photos of under the Gardiner here are difficult!

below: Development north of the Gardiner between Bathurst and Dan Leckie Way.

Dan Leckie Way is a north-south road that runs under the Gardiner just east of Bathurst. It is the western boundary of Canoe Landing Park. This park is north of the Gardiner and the Lakeshore.

below: ‘Tom Thomson’s Canoe’, by Douglas Coupland sits at the highest point of land in the area; it’s almost at the same level as the Gardiner and is very visible as you drive by. This park extends down the hill.

below: Looking the other way from the same vantage point. The street running under the Gardiner here is Dan Leckie Way . Up until this point the Lakeshore is south of the Gardiner.

At Dan Leckie Way, the Lakeshore is still south of the Gardiner and the space under the expressway is wide open. By Spadina, one major block east, the situation changes. The Lakeshore splits and westbound traffic lanes go north of the Gardiner and eastbound lanes stay south. Shortly after Spadina, the Lakeshore runs under the Gardiner and there is no room for any further development under the road.

below: Standing on Spadina, just south of the Gardiner and looking west. Here there is a lot of road to cross for pedestrians on Spadina. Not only has the Lakeshore split to run on either side of the Gardiner, but there are also ramps between the Gardiner and the Lakeshore.

below: Still on Spadina, and still looking west, but now under the Gardiner. The space under the road is not as high as it was previously. Its lower and darker and not as inviting. It will be interesting to see what phase 2 of the Bentway development will look like in this space. I am not sure when it will to be finished but I will keep an eye on it!

As for the eastern Gardiner, what does that look like? Well, that’s a whole other blog post!

Project: Under Gardiner On this site you’ll find detailed maps and diagrams of this area as well as information about the plans for the various sections of the space.

Queen, Soho, Bulwer

Posted: July 14, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: Bulwer St., David Suzuki, Elicser, elliott, fish, Franco Fasoli, hug me, JAZ, Kevin Ledo, kids, Love Letter to the Great Lakes, marty mcfly, murals, stikman, tree

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

at the mouth of the Don

Posted: July 13, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: animals, bents, DOn River, ERG, Erica Balon, faces, fish, fox, hand, Janus, Kirsten McCrea, kwest, Love Letter to the Great Lakes, MC Baldassari, mouse, PA system, paint, people, rabbit, raccoon, Rajni Perera, ramps, river, seawalls, spray paint, topless, underpass, women

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.

same, same, but different

Posted: July 8, 2016 in locations
Tags: alley, backyards, chair, faded, fence, garage, garage doors, hole, houses, lane, paint, peeling, rust, toilet, trees, weeds, window

A week or so ago I explored a lot of little alleys and lanes in Seaton village. Once upon a time it was a village, named for John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, who was Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada from 1828 to 1836. The land here was originally settled and farmed by loyalists Colonel David Shank and Captain Samuel Smith. Eventually, George Crookshank acquired the property and he laid out the plans for a village here in the 1850’s; it wasn’t developed until around 1888 when the area was annexed by the City of Toronto.

Today it is the rectangular section of Toronto north of Bloor street to the CNR train tracks by Dupont and between Bathurst and Christie streets. It is part of The Annex.

When I started to write this blog post my plan was to focus on how all lanes are the same yet different. Their characteristics usually reflect the neighbourhood around them and the way the lanes are used. Every lane has a personality.

below: Vermouth Lane, one of the greenest lanes I’ve seen in Toronto. Why? Probably because there are no garages in the lane, except for the two that were beside me when I took this picture. The backyards that are on this lane are not big. There are one or two houses that have made room in their backyard for a car, but that takes up most of the space. The lane itself is also rather narrow.

below: In contrast, Col David Shank Lane (there’s that name again!) ends at a wide alley behind the stores and services on Dupont. It’s a working alley.

But that’s only stating the obvious, isn’t it?

Like the city around them, lanes are a mix of old and new, interesting and bland, plus well kept and neglected.

They are the less public side of city life.

below: As I looked for things that make alleys different, I kept finding little details like the old blue plant pot with its contrasting orange wall.

below: The textures and bright colours in the design made by aging paint on a garage door caught my eye.

below: A vegetable garden dominates the backyard.

below: A simple plant in a window in Tandy Murch Lane. Walter Tandy Murch (1907-1967) was a painter who was born and raised in the area. His mother, Louise Murch (nee Tandy), was a popular singing teacher

below: Through a hole in the wood, a glimpse of what lies beyond.

below: Abandoned plumbing fixtures lead to all kinds of jokes – outdoor plumbing

below: A once proud tree

below: A garage door that stands alone and not in a row with others.

below: Possibly a Rorschach test? A brown face is what I see. Do you?

below: And another test – can you find the paintbrush?
Not sure how it got there! Or how it’s staying there!

below: This could become a game. An “I Spy” kind of game. I spy a face.

below: Or perhaps we could play peek-a-boo?

And this is where I am going to leave you…. until another day when I walk more lanes and find more little details, more differences, to make me smile. And then we’ll play again!

The End

hoardings engineered

Posted: July 6, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: artwall, astronaut, computer, DNA, engineers, hoardings, Jason Wing, lightbulb, mural, Nanoleaf, painted, power, robot cat, science, University of Toronto, water, windmill

Construction hoardings around the site of the new new Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CEIE) at the University of Toronto have been painted with a wonderful mural. Back in the spring I took some photos of it.

This artwall installation is a collaboration between U of T Engineering and graffiti artist Jason Wing (SKAM). The mural features many things that engineers do, from the things that are unique to U of T Engineering to those that apply to engineers around the world.

below: Batteries, circuit boards, robots and DNA. The robot cat is Tangy, a bingo playing robot and one of the many assistive robots developed at U of T.

below: Astronats in space and the Lady Godiva Memorial Band. The band is part of the engineering school and it will be getting a new music room to practice in as part of the new building. That symbol that looks like NY but isn’t – that’s pronounced ‘en sci’ and is the abbreviation for U of T’s Engineering Science program.

below: The Nanoleaf bulb, one of the world’s most energy efficient bulbs is shown along with wind turbines and solar cells. Wind and solar energy are two of the many research interests of the CEIE.

below: The Ye Olde Mighty Skule Cannon is the official mascot of U of T Engineering. The equation coming out of the cannon is the formula used to calculate power. Also in this part of the mural is a river and a faucet to represent the Institute for Water Innovation which is part of the CEIE.

below: A TTC streetcar and a traffic light are in the artwall to represent the fact that U of T engineers partner with cities worldwide to improve transportation infrastructure.

singing birds, the devil, and more

Posted: June 21, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: alley, alligator, animals, artist, bicycle, birds, black and white, blackbirds, Bloor West, Christie, Christie Ossington, devil, fish bones, freedom, garage door, graffiti, lane, Loft, man, murals, OCNC, Oscar Kwong, oskwong, street art, Under the radar, woman

Running east from Christie subway station behind the stores on Bloor West is an alley. There are a few murals there, either in the lane or visible from the lane. Below are pictures of five of them, although the last one is more graffiti than mural.

The largest of these murals is ‘Under the Radar’, or at least those are the words painted on the mural. It is on three sides of a building that backs onto the alley.

below: East side of the building

below: The back of the building

below: “Painting to the artist is like flight to the bird. Freedom”

below: West side of the building

below: White on black, a mural signed as @oskwong @release852 (2 photos)

below: The central portion – it looks like the devil and maybe an angel? Good vs evil?

below: This mural is signed, ‘the Loft’ which is an acronym for Life Opportunities Food and Technology, a program run by the Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre.

below: A bicycle riding alligator.

below: White fish bones contrast with a bright orange garage door.

below: It’s not very often I have to watch out for a Mercedes AND a Ferrari in the lane!

up and down, old and new, at Yonge and Bloor

Posted: June 11, 2016 in locations, old buildings
Tags: Bloor, condos, construction, development, downtown, facades, glass, reflections, Yonge

Standing on the corner of Yonge & Bloor, looking south…. On one corner, a tower almost finished and on the other corner a tower another just started. 1 Bloor East and 1 Bloor West.

below: 1 Bloor East (7 photos)

below: The beginnings of an overhang at street level, NW corner of the building.

below: The podium level as seen from the SW corner of the building.

below: The full height of the building is more easily seen from farther east on Bloor Street.

below: As seen from across the street, under the protective covering over the sidewalk.

below: Once upon a time the old Stollerys store stood on the southwest corner. Today it is a construction site wrapped in hoardings covered by a mural of a forest scene. I’m not sure what they’re trying to say or who they’re trying to fool. Oh well, it looks pretty for now.

below: If you look behind the hoardings, you will see that all the buildings except one have been demolished. No hole has been dug yet so it’s going to be a while before this tower is completed. And when it’s completed it will be Toronto’s tallest condo building at 72 storeys.

Two blocks north, at Yonge & Yorkville, there is another hole in the ground.

below: The doors and windows of the old brick buildings on Yonge Street are boarded up. These buildings date from the 1860’s.

below: Peek around at the back and you’ll see that the old stores have been demolished but their facades have been saved. Again, this project is in it’s early stages and again, it’s going to be a tall one. This time, 58 storeys tall.

below: The stores have been stripped of their signs and decorations. It looks a bit desolate at the moment but it will be interesting to see just what the developers do with the facade.

below: No one can argue that the old buildings were in good shape. At least there is an effort being made to preserve the front of the buildings. Preserving some of our history is important and I think that the old architecture adds visually to the look of the street.

As I walk back down Yonge street towards Bloor, a sign catches my eye. Another development proposal sign – Toronto’s most common sign I think. This one is for a 64 storey building at Yonge and Cumberland. Anyone feeling a touch of vertigo at the moment?

return to Scarfo Lane

Posted: June 9, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: alley, bird houses, birdo, blue bird, city, colours, doors, fairy, garages, Insect Cabaret, lane, logs, marine, mural, murals, nature, octopus, red bird, turtle, urban

Graffiti and street art, sometimes it stays around a while and other times it disappears, hidden by someone else’s work. Tags and words also appear where they often shouldn’t. When I walk an alley that I’ve seen before, I never know what to expect but there is always something to discover to make it worth a repeat visit. So it was this morning when I found myself back at Scarfo Lane. Back in Nov 2014 (a year and a half ago! … time flies by!) I posted about some of the street art and murals that I saw there. Most of it is still there.

Today’s contributions follow – at least one is new and the others I’m not sure about, I might have omitted them last time. The whims of the day and of the photographer.

below: Blue cool nature meets red hot city, friends, joined together & working together. Mural by ‘Insect Cabaret’ which is the name that artists Aisha Ali and Andalah Ali have given to themselves and their work.

below: Swimming in the lane.

The next two are from the same garage door.

And in case you’re curious –

below: The blue bird and bird houses are still as bright as they were before…

below: … and the little red birds are still floating along on their logs

Frank Kovac lane

Posted: June 8, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: alley, alleyway, animals, bear, bees, blue jay, blueberries, camera, community, doors, faces, fences, figures, fox, garage doors, graffiti, ivy, lane, monsters, mural, Nick Sweetman, painting, photography, photos, raccoon, street art, urban wildlife

Frank Kovac Lane is a short alley just south of Christie subway station. Some of the garage doors were painted with murals in past years and, as usual, there were plenty of tags. Recently, the lane was the scene of a community mural painting session thanks to the 4th Toronto Rangers (Girl Guides), StreetARToronto, artist Nick Sweetman, and some local residents. Now some of the tags are gone and more importantly, some more garage doors are home to bright and cheerful murals. A few of them are included here.

below: At the north end of the lane is this large, colourful mural by Nick Sweetman.
Two large blue bears have found a plethora of honey. Will the bees share?