Allan Gardens | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘Allan Gardens’

equilibrium

Posted: July 25, 2018 in graffiti and street art
Tags: Allan Gardens, beaks, Carlton St., colours, consevatory, equilibrium, houses, Jarvis, mural, okudart, painting, Parkside residence, reflections, St. Andrews church, street, street art, windows, wings

A new mural in town,
Equilibrium, by Okuda San Miguel, aka Okudart

below: As seen from Sherbourne street. It’s tall! 23 storeys tall in fact. Not just a new mural but also a new landmark.

below: As seen from Allan Gardens.

below: It’s painted on the side of the Parkside student residence (once the Primrose Hotel) on the SW corner of Jarvis and Carlton streets. It looks finished although the ropes and lifts are still in place. No one was painting when I walked past this afternoon. The artist, Okudart, has already signed the piece.

below: The very top portion. A blue conical beak and feathery wings on a female human like figure who is sitting on three large heads.

below: Just a bit lower on the mural – more beaks but this time they look like carrots. A black and white globe with a mouth in Africa. One blue eye in the Atlantic Ocean and one orange eye in Asia. Is that a man on the left?

below: Under the globe another female figure with a blue nose. Nude but discreetly so.

The background of the mural consists of large rainbow coloured stripes on top and black on the bottom. These were painted by local artists before Okudart finished the piece.

below: Street level

below: The church across the street does not have stained glass windows. The colours are reflections from the mural.

The mural was part of the STEPS Initiative Program and it also involved StART (StreetARToronto), the owners of the residence, and a number of other partners.

a few flowers

Posted: April 19, 2018 in nature
Tags: Allan Gardens, conservatory, flowers, hyacinth, orchid, spring

A few pictures of flowers from Allan Gardens Conservatory today. We all want spring. The warmth of spring…. and the colours of spring like the shades of blue and purple in the hyancinths above.

A few florals to warm your soul. Soon it will be spring and we can put away our winter layers.

3 churches and Church

Posted: February 18, 2018 in construction, doors, nature, old buildings
Tags: Allan Gardens, amaryllis, architecture, barrel cactus, billboards, buds, buildings, cacti, cars, chuch, Church St., conservatory, construction, Dundas Square, enough is enough, flower, Grace church, hoardings, icicles, Jarvis Street Baptist, Metropolitan United, mural, old buildings, park, people, plants, redevelopment, reflections, signs, snow, stores, street, street scene, traffic, trees, windows, winter, Yonge Dundas Square

I was meeting a friend at Queen and Church for walkies and coffee last Monday. I was there a few minutes early so of course I took a few pictures while I was waiting. I had come across King Street because the streetcars tend to be faster on King these days. Plus, it was a nice day for a walk.

below: Looking north up Church Street from Richmond.

below: Metropolitan United Church is on the NW corner of Queen and Church. Even if you aren’t religious, there is something inspiring about the architecture. In this case, the setting adds to the grace and beauty of the building. Usually there are people around but it was surprisingly quiet that day (too cold outside?)

below: Take a few more steps towards Metropolitan United and then turn around. This is the view that awaits you. The intersection of Queen and Church from a different angle.

below: As I walked back to the intersection, this man walked in front of the streetcar. I think that he called himself either Cowboy Bob or Cowboy Bill.

below: Church #2. Jarvis Street Baptist Church.

below: Yes, there are a lot of churches in this section of downtown. This is the third (and last for today’s blog) but there are many more. Grace Church through the trees.

below: A stop at Allan Gardens conservatory for warm and a washroom. If this picture is looking a little fuzzy around the edges, my camera lens kept steaming up faster than I could wipe it off.

below: Every Christmas, the conservatory at Allan Gardens is decorated with many amaryllis plants. The other day, many were looking a little worse for wear. These buds were a few of the exceptions. At some point (soon?), the Christmas plants will be switched out for spring plants.

below: Barrel cacti in differing sizes in the Allan Gardens conservatory.

below: And just around the corner from Allan Gardens there is this painted cactus (or is it a succulent?) standing in the cold.

below: This part of Church Street is now in McGill Granby Village. There is even a lovebot on the pole.

below: “Enough is enough”, a large Church Street mural.

below: On Church Street, another redevelopment victim.

below: And just up the street, another.

below: Trucks, construction, and condos. Ho hum. Been there, done that.

below: One set of construction hoardings has been decorated with kids’ paintings. Bright and cheerful.

below: Through the layers

below: Icicles!

below: Trudeau senior looks down on the world.

below: The guys over the entrance to the Chang School at Ryerson are wearing little puffy white hats.

below: As we walked past Yonge Dundas Square, I stopped, took another look, and then said: “Isn’t that a new sign?”. My walking partner replied that she wasn’t sure. Neither was I.

I happened to walk past Yonge Dundas Square again yesterday, and yes, there is a new sign. A big one.

below: “It’s OK to be scared, just take a deep breath” as the fourth panel of the new sign is installed.

below: Working on the new sign. That billboard on the left, 98.1 CHFI is all Christmas music? Still? In February?

C’est too for now friends!

blooming Christmas

Posted: December 18, 2015 in events, nature
Tags: Allan Gardens, birds, cactus, Christmas, Christmas cactus, Christmas decorations, conservatory, flowers, hibiscus, orchid, poinsettias, snowman, succulents, topiary

The Christmas flower show at Allan Gardens conservatory is back,

which means lots of poinsettias… over 30 varieties in fact.

A rare purple glitter ball tree is also in bloom.

below: He has a carrot nose and a corn cob pipe,

but he doesn’t look very frosty. Maybe it’s the red vest that’s keeping the chill away.

below: With its silver beak and its twiggy tail, this little fluffy bird perches on a palm tree.

below: Christmas greenery – ever green baubles hang from a vine.

below: All bundled up for a toboggan ride down a mountain of poinsettias.

below: Flowering Christmas cacti hang from the roof.

In addition to the Christmas plants like poinsettias

and amaryllis,

some of the conservatory’s usual cast of floral characters are on display, such as orchids

and hibiscus plants.

one blue, one naked

Posted: October 8, 2015 in events, public art
Tags: Allan Gardens, billboards, downtown, extended projects, Francisco Fernandos Granados, headless, Luis Jacob, naked man, nuit blanche, refugees run the seas, snb2015, snbTO, Sphinx, statue, Toronto

Some of the art installations from Nuit Blanche remain available for viewing this week.
Two of them are near Jarvis and Gerrard.

below: As you travel south on Jarvis Street, just before Gerrard, you can see a billboard art installation, ‘Refugees run the seas’ by Francisco Fernandos Granados. The accompanying sign says: “‘Refugees run the seas’ draws and diverts from pop culture as a way to invite the viewer to imagine a future where justice for migrants exists. The work evokes past and present scenes of harrowing escape while allowing the possibility of a time to come when those seeking refuge will be agents of movement, rather than victims.”

“Refugees run the seas ’cause we own our own boats” is a line from Wyclef Jean’s rap in Shakira’s song ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ in case you were wondering how this billboard “draws and diverts from” pop culture.

below: In the Children’s Conservatory at Allan Gardens is another installation. This one is titled “Sphinx” and it is by Luis Jacob of Toronto. According to the Nuit Blanche sign: “Toronto is changing before our eyes. Neighbourhoods and skylines are transformed seemingly overnight while the social fabric of the city is altered in ways that are difficult to discern. Come in and see the ‘Sphinx’, who poses questions that we want ardently to ask.”

The hands and fingers of this tall and imposing headless man are forming a frame that is apparently supposed to capture our attention. When you walk into the conservatory it’s definitely not the hands that you notice. The hands are way above the line of sight. Of course, one could ask why he has no clothes and does having no head enhance the artwork. Can you ask questions if you have no mouth, no voice? And are the questions ardently wanted or ardently asked? hmmm….

There are books and pamphlets in display cases around the room. These publications are all about Toronto and they date back as far as 50 years ago. No, you can’t access the books, you can’t open or read them. I’m not sure what information they are supposed to add to the exhibit.

#snbTO

Allan Garden hoardings

Posted: April 19, 2015 in graffiti and street art, public art
Tags: Allan Gardens, animals, Anishnawbe, beaver, community, deer, First Nations, graffiti, heads, indigenous communities, long hair, men, moon, mural, rocks, stars, street art, turtle, woman

UPDATED: Construction here has finished and the hoardings have been removed. These murals no longer exist.

A couple of years ago, the city started a project to replace the water mains that run under Gerrard Street. As part of that project, a section of Allan Gardens was dug up to provide access to the underground mains. The site was barricaded by wood hoardings. These hoardings have since been covered by a large mural titled ‘Nindinawemaaganidok / All My Relations’. Twenty one artists contributed to the painting of the mural.

The north side of the wall:

Four themes appear in this mural, Community, Water, Anishnawbe Teachings and History of the Land. Animals such as buffalo, deer, wolves, turtles, and beaver are common motifs.

The east side of the wall:

below: Sky Woman

South side (along Gerrard Street):

West side:

If construction goes according to plan, the hoardings should come down by the end of May 2015. As to whether or not this deadline will be met is anyone’s guess.

The artists: Tannis Nielsen, Phil Cote, Natasha Naveau, Rosary Spence, Gwen Lane, Angela Malley, Judy Rheume, Gary M. Johnston, Amanda Murray, Rebecca Baird, Cotee Harper, Graham Curry, Briana Stone, Lyndsey Lickers-Nyle Johnston, Isaac Weber, Honey Smith, Shelby Rain McDonald, Paula Gonzalez-Ossa, Kalmplex, Adrion Corey Charles, Ron Razor and Steven Henderson.

Link to more information (as well as a video) about this project

a break in winter

Posted: February 22, 2015 in locations, nature
Tags: Allan Gardens, can't wait for spring, cheerful, close ups of flowers, colours, conservatory, daffodils, flowers, green house, hibiscus, macros, plants, poinsettia, thorns, tired of winter, Toronto, tulips, warm, warmth

Yesterday Toronto got a brief respite from the frigid temperatures that we’ve been experiencing. Instead, more snow fell. I think that most of us are getting tired of this thing called winter, including me. So, here are a few photos from inside the conservatory at Allan Gardens to brighten your day.