as I walk Toronto

Kensington paper

Posted: November 11, 2021 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: Bentoghoul, bruho.to, Homer Simpson, I'm feeling blue, jumblefacefoto, las mujeres vampiros, paper, posters, slaps, smugrat, stickers, T-bonez, trp613, urban ninja squardon, visual noise

November 2021 edition

below: Jumbleface foto collage, slightly peeling. Keep cold.

below: Doesn’t he fit right into the poster? Or are you busy looking at all the little creatures swarming around t-bonez head?

below: It’s Life, it’s a one-eyed red daisy

below: Smugrat, Las Mujeres Vampiros, bentoghoul, and others.

below: Wash your hands after It’s Life yellow daisy takes first prize

below: Miss You! Nika loves Aura, and other messages around the coffee.

below: Crying real water

below: And you’re looking blue too.

below: Gas Phaseout? We CANDU It! Part of the poster has been torn off ….

below: … but this Homer Simpson poster is probably related. Climate Hero! Eating donuts? No… “In Ontario nuclear workers provided 90% of the electricity needed to phase out coal – North America’s greatest CO2 reduction. Let’s phase out natural gas next”.
I can’t read all the handwriting but part of what someone has written on the poster says: “How did you turn off my portable Panosonic TV Karen? Did your boyfriend help you?” Can you make any sense of that?

Borden and Cyril

Posted: November 8, 2021 in graffiti and street art
Tags: birdo, blue bull, Borden, Cyril Lane, faces, Jerry Rugg, murals, Philip Saunders, pigs, skull, yoda

There used to be this birdo mural (aka Jerry Rugg) on the northeast corner of Borden and College….

It’s gone now; replaced by this painting:

There are a few animals such as this blue bull in the mural with a lot of textual stuff.

below: There is also what looks like a little green humanoid squatting in the corner. Are those UFO’s in the mural as well?

below: Across the street is another animal theme mural; this time, it’s pink pigs.

Just north of College Street, Cyril Lane runs east from Borden. Back in April 2015 I posted about some of the street art that I saw in Cyril Lane. There haven’t been too many changes in 6 1/2 years but I thought that I would ‘update’ the photos from this lane just the same.

below: I think it’s still trying to say something – and has been since before April 2015.

below: These two people date from the summer of 2015 and you can see what they looked like when new in this blog post (click). I am not sure if the paint was purposely removed from the eyes or if that was an area more prone to peeling.

below: Also from the summer of 2015 (there are actually 3 men in the mural):

below: Yoda peaks out from behind the wall.

below: a face in blue and white by Philip Saunders

an alley near Yonge and Sheppard

Posted: November 5, 2021 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: #showloveTO, Andre Kan, cruz, Erica James, Eugene Lee, frog, Ian Gabriel, Jieun June Kim, June Kim, KJ Bit, luvs, muisca, murals, Nick Sweetman, Nixo, Planta Muisca, Rowell Soller, Sheppard, snake, sparrow, Yonge St.

Just over a year ago, I found two murals in a lane near Yonge and Sheppard, one by Rowell Soller and the other the work of @rowdyradrat aka Ian Gabriel.

below: “Make me smile” is still written here. Street art by rowdyradrat

below: Rowell Soller’s painting of a man’s profile is now joined by Spooky Boo, a striped ghost-like figure by Jieun June Kim.

below: Two animal stickers, a cat and a tiger (or is it two tigers?), both by Jieun June Kim.

Since then, other street art has appeared in the same alley.

below: another piece by Jieun June Kim

below: A little blue bird by KJ Bit (who helped organize the painting of many of the murals back in June of this year).

below: Straight lines on blue, geometric and abstract, painted by Erica James aka Nixo

below: Construction in the background

below: A tricolour jaguar, in yellows, blues, and reds, by Nick Sweetman

below: A little sparrow with a rusty coloured cap, by luvs

below: Another luvs painting – the woman on the left – beside a snail and a blue dog with a very long pink tongue by cruz

below: A snake among the plants in purples and oranges, by Planta Muisca

below: On the right, colourful blobs and splashes in motion painted by Andre Kan

below: frog and snail

below: …. and last, another frog. This one was painted by Eugene Lee

El Mocambo Lane

Posted: November 2, 2021 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: adore, alley, Amos Danniels, archer, ArtworxTO, calligraphy, Chinatown BIA, devil, El Mocambo tavern, Elicser Elliott, grit, horseman, Keitha Keeshig Tobias, Kreecha, lane, lights, murals, Nishina Loft, paint, pigeons, poser, road runner, skero, steam, streetARToronto

The El Mocambo, a Spadina landmark since 1948 has had a makeover

… including a new sign to go with its renovations. It has just re-opened after being closed since 2014.

The alley behind the tavern has been spruced up a bit too – 24 new murals have been painted over the past few weeks all within the theme of “Grit”

below: Elicser Elliott’s painting of the back of a building, with a masked and hooded horseman to the left.

below: Road runner and coyote, still together

below: Doorway painted by Adore

below: Circular calligraphy by kreecha

below: A Poser street scene

below: Devilish art

below: An older man sits on a bench watching the pigeons, a painting by Steam.

below: Archer in the city with a loaded paint brush, part of a mural by Keitha Keeshig Tobias

below: Oh oh! Little pink guy seems to have broken through…. painting by Skero

This project had the support of the city’s StreetARToronto program, the Chinatown BIA, as well as local businesses including El Mocambo and Gwartzman’s Art Supplies. It was led by Amos Danniels (a.k.a. ‘SIGHT’) as its co-curator and project manager along with Project Coordinator Nishina Loft.

humanity and a kraken

Posted: October 31, 2021 in locations, public art
Tags: art installation, ArtworxTO, Camal Pirbhal, Camille Turner, David Rokeby, Entire City Project, House of Baby, Humanity Movement, kraken, lights, Masai Ujiri, Michael Awad, Queens Quay, Sir John A Macdonald Plaza, slavery, street art, Union station, waterfront

The results of a walk on what was probably the last warm evening of the year….

below: In Sir John A. Macdonald Plaza (that’s the space in front of Union Station by Front Street) is an art installation by Masai Ujiri, “Humanity Movement”. There are 35 words that represent what humanity means to Ujiri – words such as compassion, love, selfless, collective that are repeated as they cover the eight foot high installation. A light in the center makes the words appear on the sidewalk and on the structures (and people) around it.

below: Inside the Great Hall at Union Station is an image titled “House of Baby” that is the result of a collaboration between Camille Turner and Camal Pirbhal. It is a image of people in the Great Hall that includes portraits of 18 Indigenous and Black people who were enslaved by the Baby family.

Francois Baby (1768 Detroit – 1852 Windsor Ont) and his brother James (1763 Detroit – 1833 Toronto) were politicians, businessmen and land owners. Francois stayed in what was then the Western District of Upper Canada (around Windsor). His biography is long and I’m not going to go into details here but he did have slaves. James moved to York in 1815 and was part of the establishment – between 1792 and 1830 he held more than 115 appointments or commissions of varying degrees of importance.

In 1793 John Graves Simcoe, then Lieutenant Governor, tried to abolish slavery in Upper Canada but many of the ruling class, including James Baby, were slave owners and outright abolishment failed. Instead there was a compromise made (how Canadian!) and restrictions were put on slave ownership such that by 1833 there were none left. A much more complete history of slavery in Upper Canada can be found in an article at Upper Canada History.

below: On the York Street side of Union Station

below: On the PATH system at 25 York Street there is a mural that is 25 metres long (or 100 feet long); it is “Entire City Project” by Michael Awad, 2009. It is a warped panorama of commuters outside Union Station.

below: The lights hanging from the ceiling are another art piece. “Pixel Matrix”, is a large cube of 30,000 individually controllable LED lights on strings, with constantly changing lighting effects. It was a collaboration between Michael Awad and David Rokeby

below: Making a kraken. One tentacle can be seen in the foreground.

below: The kraken’s eye is a video that plays on a screen bulging from the container that can barely hold its contents. Will the kraken escape? Is Queens Quay safe?

below: Lights in motion

below: The art installations at 10 York Street look much different at night!

below: Lights over the harbour, Queens Quay

intersections – St. Clair and Danforth

Posted: October 30, 2021 in intersections, locations, old buildings
Tags: abandoned buildings, CLM Industries, graffiti, houses, industrial, memorials, Pinehills cemetery, railway tracks, redevelopment, Scarborough, Scarborough Church of God, Scarborough GO station, Scarborough Junction, stores

Toronto’s old industrial buildings are disappearing. So when I saw the tall brick chimneys near St. Clair and the Danforth I had to stop and take a closer look.

CLM stands for Canadian Line Materials, also known as CLM industries. It was a division of McGraw-Edison Ltd and they manufactured electrical equipment. One of their contracts was with the Canadian Government to build air raid sirens. CLM was sold in 1985 and no longer exists.

below: Back in behind, part of the parking lot has been given over to the Scarborough Community Garden.

below: In the above photo you can see the solar panels on the roof of the Scarborough Church of God that is across the street from the old CLM buildings. Construction of the church began in 1958 and it was dedicated in March 1960 as the Scarborough Junction United Church. The blue sign indicates that this is also the home of the Scarborough Grace Harvest Church (Korean).

below: Side windows on the church

below: A reminder of how diverse Toronto is – Workers rights in many languages

below: “Known as best psychic and spiritual healer in Toronto”

below: Arsenio’s Kitchen has chicken and rice for $5.99

below: Fuel stop – gas for the car and a roti for you

Just to the west, Kennedy Road crosses both St. Clair and Danforth and forms a small triangle. Immediately south of the Danforth, Kennedy goes over the railway tracks.

below: The view east from Kennedy, looking towards Scarborough GO station.

below: The view west from the bridge

below: A bit of country in the city.

below: An elephant hiding in the bushes. Any idea of what flag that might be? Trinidad and Tobago?

below: Anime-like on a bridge railing.

below: Standing on the platform at Scarborough GO station and looking east. Here the tracks split – the GO train line to Kennedy and Agincourt stations (and beyond) splits to the left and heads northward. The other tracks are the main CNR line as well as eastward GO line to Eglinton GO station

As I walked, it soon became apparent that there were a lot of commercial buildings now sitting empty. It’s becoming a bit repetitive but once again I found myself in an area that is about to undergo some profound changes.

below: An empty building waiting for demolition.

Scarborough Junction redevelopment plans involve a 26 acre plot of land adjacent to Scarborough GO station – what has become known as the Scarborough Junction Masterplan.

below: Drawing of the Masterplan. It covers a large chunk of the triangle created by the CNR tracks, Kennedy Road to the west, and St. Clair to the north. It will create about 6620 residential units in 17 buildings with the tallest tower being 48 storeys high. The CLM building is on this site (blocks C & G?). (image source: Urban Toronto).

below: View from the Scarborough GO station. At the moment, most of the land along the northwest side of the tracks is unused.

below: Outdoor seating arrangement

below: Truck for sale

below: On the southwest corner of Kennedy and St. Clair is a small plaza from the 1960s.

below: Another empty building behind a fence – Some clothes in cases all that remains of what was once a thrift store (and probably something else before that). There is a weathered sign suggesting a condo development but I haven’t been able to find anything about it (or I missed something).

below: One corner that is in no danger of being redeveloped is the northwest corner of St. Clair and Kennedy. This is Pinehills Cemetery.

It’s heart warming to see that people care enough about those who have passed away that they find ways to celebrate that person in creative ways. Insert jokes here about how we’ll all be dead before the Maple Leafs win a Stanley Cup.

blues – looking at the blues

Posted: October 26, 2021 in galleries
Tags: AGO, art, Art Gallery of Ontario, blue, Blue View, exhibition, Frugal Repast, galleries, Matthew Wong, Pablo Picasso, paintings, Picasso, the blue room, The Soup

Two exhibits at the Art Gallery of Ontario feature the colour blue. One is “Blue View” consisting of paintings created by Canadian artist Matthew Wong between 2017 and 2019. The other is an exhibit of Picasso paintings at the beginning of the 20th century especially his “blue period” 1901-1904.

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Matthew Wong (1984-2019)

below: “Starry Night”

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Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

below: Nudes painted before the Blue Period… and when Picasso was only 19 or 20 years old.

In 1901 Picasso was given access to Saint-Lazare prison-hospital in Paris where he painted many of the inmates, especially the women who were there as a result of their participation in the sex trade. They were impoverished and forgotten women living in deplorable conditions, often with young children. Picasso painted them in shades of blue and green and in his paintings sex work, motherhood and syphilis become intertwined. They can be compared to images of the Virgin Mary with an infant Jesus, a secularized Madonna.

below: “Mother and Child by Fountain”

below: “Woman and Child by the Sea”, 1902

below: “The Soup”, 1902

below: “The Blue Room”, 1901

below: “The Frugal Repast”. Not in blue but still with the theme of the working poor. This was an etching that Picasso first made in 1904. Later, in 1913, he printed 250 copies of it.

With thanks to Alice and Arlene for spending a couple of hours looking at paintings with me.

“Picasso, painting the blue period” continues until 16 Jan 2022.

Matthew Wong paintings are on display until 18 April 2022

St. Patricks pop-up

Posted: October 22, 2021 in galleries, locations
Tags: Andrew Patterson, ArtOnQueen, ArtOnQueenWest, Curtia Wright, images, Jenelle Lewis, Jieun June Kim, outdoor gallery, paintings, peru143, Queen Street West, Show Love TO, St. Patricks Market

The building at St. Patricks Market on Queen Street West is empty but the exterior walls are now a pop-up outdoor gallery. It is part of Art On Queen West. Some of the artwork that is on display:

below: “I See You” By Peru143

below: “Bouquet” by Curtia Wright

below: “The Queen” (representing Queen West) by Andrew Patterson

below: “Pies, para que los quiero si tengo alas para volar?” Or in English: “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?” by Alejandra Paton

below: “The Reimagining of the Steps” by Jenelle Lewis

below: “Untitled” by Jenelle Lewis

below: “Pizza Night” by Jieun June Kim

more than a pile of skulls

Posted: October 14, 2021 in locations, public art
Tags: art installation, Built on Genocide, CHIPPEWAR, Harbourfront, indigenous, Jay Soule, Luminato Festival, Meryl McMaster, Ontario Square, photography, posters, skulls

There are two public art exhibits now on display at Harbourfront’s Ontario Square. The first is “Built on Genocide” by by Jay Soule aka CHIPPEWAR which is part of this year’s Luminato Festival …. “In the mid-19th century, an estimated 30 to 60 million buffalo roamed the prairies, by the late 1880s, fewer than 300 remained. As the buffalo were slaughtered and the prairie ecosystem decimated, Indigenous peoples were robbed of their foods, lands, and cultures. The buffalo genocide became a genocide of the people” (quote source: Luminato website)

below: The centerpiece is a pile of Buffalo skulls.

below: Surrounding the skulls are posters that highlight and criticize government policies towards First Nations including (Prime Minister) Sir John A. Macdonald and his “Magic Eraser”, i.e. the Indian Act of 1876.

below: The poster on the left references the adoption of First Nations children by non-Native families often referred to as the Sixties Scoop because it reached its peak (most adoptions) in the 1960s. The plight of Indigenous women is the subject of the other poster – the disproportionate number of whom have been murdered or went missing.