Posts Tagged ‘graffiti’

an evening out

Posted: August 18, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, people, stores, transportation
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This used to be Yonge Dundas Square (photo below) – soon it will be Sankofa Square. Or at least I think that’s what’s happening as there was some controversy over the name change. Although the name Yonge Dundas is very dull and unimaginative, that is what we’ve become accustomed to calling it. Some of us still claim that the Leafs play at the ACC or that the Blue Jays call the SkyDome home – yeah, we can be rather slow!

Whatever its name, that intersection is usually a colourful place on a summer evening.

musician, yonge dundas square, people watching red umbrellas

So that is where I started walking late in the afternoon the other day.  The walk was rather meandering, and did include a quick hop on a streetcar or two.  The weather was perfect and the streets were alive.  It was nice to see so many people out enjoying the evening.  Many (all?) of the curbside patios were busy too.

two men and a women talking and walking together

a man waits by bus shelter on dundas outside of H and M store

women walking, summer evening, two are talking, one is carrying a drink

below: Spiderman sits on a chair waiting for someone to hang out with.

spiderman sits in a chair

man sitting on bench inside bus shelter, people getting on and off streetcar, reflections,

reflections in a window, two levels of interior, with drug store and pharmacy on the lower level

a man sitting on sidewalk in blue t shirt, pan handling, two people on bike waiting for green light to cross Bay street

young man, topless, on skateboard, on street

a topless young man wearing a hat and jeans, and carrying a bag over his shoulder, in middle street, police car passes by, people on sidewalk turn to look because police car has short blast of the siren

below: Garfield is not amused (but he is shiny… or is that why he’s grumpy?)

clothing for sale, on sidewalk, at dundas and spadina, flatbed towtruck on street

two motorcycles parked, a pigeon on the sidewalk, and a couple at a table outside seven lives restaurant in kensington

a young couple on a pink motor scooter

below: On a balcony in Kensington, a war protest or at least a pro-Ukraine and anti-Russian statement.   Lots of sunflowers fill the space and Putin (presumably) is hung in effigy.

on a balcony in Kensington, many sunflowers, both real and fake, plants in blue and yellow pots, an effigy of putin, and a sign that says putin murdered over 200,000 men women and children

below: August is tomato season in Ontario!

boxes and baskets of tomatoes for sale outside of fruit and vegetable market

below:Buddha prays (meditates?)

fabric hanging outside a store, one with buddha, praying

below: A rare species spotted in Kensington – a rainbow tree

patio in front of a restaurant with a blue translucent fence, and a tree with trunk wrapped in stripes of yarn knitted

below: Shadow play on a Kensington graffiti wall.

man on sidewalk in front of graffiti in Kensington

below: Laundry time

man with red bag outside a coin laundry in kensington

below: This young man still watches over College Street (mural by Jarus).

mural on upper storeys, an image of a young man seated on ground, by jarus, above fast food restaurant of gyros, shwarma, poutine, souvlaki, felafal, and fries, and more, with new condo in background, people on sidewalk

below: Lord of the Fries!

sign on sidewalk for hogtown, lord of the fries

people walking on College Street

below: A creative use of a few chairs.

three turquoise plastic chairs in front of a store, written in red paint on chairs is the word open and a red heart

reflections in the window of an uncle tetsu cheesecake store

below: Mural by roam_t.o

mural by roam t o

below: Where danger lurks around the corner, unseen and unexpected!  (mural by Tensoe2 and Nick Sweetman)

mural on the side of a dominos pizza, animal with open mouth and big teeth, looks like it is after the people walking by on the sidewalk

below: Nazare Snack Bar

two stores on Dundas West, Nazare Snack Bar, and a convenience store, evening, people on the sidewalk talking

below: Taking a rest from riding on the broom?! Hallowe’en shopping done early!

mother and daughter sitting on streetcar, mother with shopping bag from halloween store and daughter holding a black witch's broom

below: A sign that claims that Ossington is the coolest neighbourhood. Any opinions?

sign on sidewalk on dundas, at ossington, claiming ossington to be the coolest neighbourhood, streetcar and street life in the background

below: Don’t text me!

don't text me

below: “Freedom is a state of mind” (not just another brick?)

graffiti, in white, on red brick, says freedom is a state of mind

below: Graffiti, text on a poster, by Kleeshay, “All the fun things we did when we were kids never stopped being fun we just stopped doing them”

text, black on white, by kleeshay on a wall at spadina and dundas

below: “We are taught to put emphasis on our differences because it would be too dangerous if we ever realized how much we have in common “

graffiti on a garbage bin, text, black on white, by kleeshay

below: A third Kleeshay poster – “You might forget who you are if you’re surrounded by people who act like you aren’t who you are. “

poster on an exterior wall, lots of text that says

below: Turtle Island, bald eagle

bicycle parked beside a metal utility pole, graffiti on pole, bald eagle with turtle island symbol inside it

 

below: Locked up; behind bars

black and white small graffiti of a mans face, behind metal bars of a gate

below: “Respect the Space”, an urban collage on a door in Keningston. “Baby’s first pistol” – yikes!
on a white door in Kensington, mailboxes and graffiti, text saying respect this space, stickers,

below: Another collage, sort of – I find it hard to believe that someone actually taped a coffee cup to a pole… but seeing is believing?
bits of old posters on a utility pole, an A and W coffee cup taped to the pole as well

below: Nothing fancy here, but I was fascinated by the old concrete posts that are keeping this fence up. She walked in front of me as I slowed down for a closer look…..

woman walking on sidewalk, walking past a fence made of concrete posts and metal bar, metal gate

below: This final picture is for the person who mentioned that they once thought of collecting images of all the shopping carts they saw abandoned around the city. Ever since reading that comment, I see shopping carts everywhere!!

a house with small frontyard, an old metal shopping cart in the yard

below: What do you see when you walk around Toronto?

silliness and more, in their words

Posted: July 15, 2024 in graffiti and street art
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This post is a small collection of “text only” graffiti that I have seen over the past few months.  They come from no particular place in the city.  The authors, except one, are anonymous.  Some are silly, others are poignant.  Not all of them make sense.  No matter what the sentiment, someone took the time and (very little?) effort to make their thoughts known.

below: “Wake up and smell the corruption!”

graffiti, words

below: “I love her tho” along with “We’re probably gonna break up in 3 days”.  Ah, life.
graffiti, words

below: “Was I ever not crazy”, maybe a rhetorical question?

graffiti, words
below: “In your pants” is not a good place to P.

graffiti, words, altered no parking sign with text in your pants, i.e. no peeing in your pants

below: “Sorcery not science runs your world.” I’m curious as to whether the writer is expressing their opinion as in “I think sorcery…” or if they are expressing a complaint as in “You think sorcery…”.

Someone’s reply is: “I am interested in your thoughts on how sorcery interacts with the urban planning process”

Which leads to: “Exhibit A: the streets of Washington D.C”

Totally makes sense, right?  LOL

graffiti, words about sorcery and science on a blue and white development notice sign for masaryk cowan community centre

below: “I’m nosey because I care.” and “If only you could know me but maybe we’re meant 2 be lonely.”  All around a bright red symbol for female, or in Egyptian hieroglyphs, an ankh, the symbol for life.

graffiti, words along with red female symbol, about loneliness and being nosey because I care

below: “If you read this, God bless you my friend”

graffiti, words

below: “How many times I’ve to tell you God loves you, so smile.”

graffiti, words

below: “free the white girls Let them eat cake”

graffiti, words

below: Conversation (monologue?) on a vent goes something like this:
“U know when it feels exactly like drowning?
Yeah I do
I almost did almost drowning
[purple] was interesting and fun
I Don’t Recommend
will not try again”

graffiti, words

below: “Anti-graffiti graffiti crew”

graffiti, words, anti-graffiti graffiti crew

below: “Stay true to yourself and you will attract the greatest things the world has to offer”
graffiti, words painted in an alley, Stay true to yourself and you will attract the greatest things the world has to offer

below: A poem on a pole. Although it mentions Gaza, it would also apply to Kiev, or Kharkiv, or a little farther back in time, Aleppo.

graffiti, words, a poem by Refaat Alareer about dying in Gaza, making a kite

If I Must Die
by Refaat Alareer
If I must die,
you must live,
to tell my story
to sell my things
to buy a piece of cloth and some strings. 
(make it white with a long tail)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza
while looking
heaven in the eye
awaiting his dad
who left in a blaze
and bid no one farewell
not even to his flesh
not even to himself –
sees the kite, my kite you made,
flying up
above
and thinks for a moment
an angel is there
bringing back love
If I must die
let it bring hope
let it be a tale

***

Previous posts with many words:

paper words in the alley (2019)
positive words are never wrong! (2018) and
protests. advertisements. words (2021)

once upon a May morning

Posted: June 1, 2024 in alleys, graffiti and street art, nature
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small part of a mural on a garage door in an alley, a blue coffee mug with I 'heart' T.O. on it

This is another “walk with friends” post; three of us out enjoying a May morning looking for signs of spring (and summer!), bits of art, and other eccentric little details.  Like all good walks, this one started with a coffee and a bite to eat.  In this case, at Rustle and Still on Bloor West, a Vietnamese coffee shop

painting on the wall, interior of coffee shop, Rustle and Still, man witting on a stool drinking coffee

where I tried their purple sweet potato croissant.  Highly recommended!

vietnamese iced coffee in a glass mug beside a plate with a purple sweet potato croissant on it, on a wood table in a coffee shop

We walked more or less south and west from Bloor and Palmerston to Queen and Dunn.   This is some of what we saw. … Starting with the colours of spring with lots of greens

below: Flowers such as these big purple balls of allium

front yard, by sidewalk, with yellow fire hydrant, also lots of spring greenery including purple allium puff balls

below: More purple – Bergenia Crassifolia flowers seem to want to jump out of the garden.

little purple flowers in a garden, bergenia crassiflora

below: Grape vines coming back to life.

a vine on a fence, with little pink buds,

below: Crabapple tree blossoms in abundance

white crab apple tree blossoms on a tree, with some old dried dark red crab apples too

below: … and flowers of a different kind. Purple orchids on a garage door painted by Trexlorian.

mural of three purple orchids on a garage door in an alley

below: Spring colours here too…  Fabulous bright orange toes!

a woman in blue and white plaid pants sits on a white plastic chair outside a restaurant. she is wearing sandals and has orange toe nail polish

And other colours too….

A red shed (or gate?).  Also, the metal gate and fence with the circles is unique!

bright red shed at the back of a yard, alley view, also a cut metal fence and gate with circles

A bright pink house (with red trim! … and a green front door)

a brick house painted bright pink with red trim and a green front door

below: The ivy has gone crazy here but the cheerful blue trim hasn’t been hidden… yet!

house with white and blue trim, lots of windows in front, ivy growing on roof above windows

And while we’re looking at houses, one little house stand alone dwarfed by the large brick house on one side.  Even the other houses on the left are larger.

houses on a street, on the right the houses are large, and on the left the houses are small, dwarfed by their larger neighbours

below: Another tiny house stuck in the middle!

small house between larger ones,

below: This is actually a row of three little homes where the outer two have a peaked roof.

a row of small workers cottages, or similar architectural style, bungalows,

There seem to be a lot of houses that have expanded upwards with third storey additions, or new rooftop balconies.

a large japanese maple tree in front of a row of houses

below: An alley view –  What caught my eye here was the fact that all six houses have an upper level (rooftop?) balcony with a wood railing.

dump truck in a lane, Alex Borovoy Lane, back of houses, all two storeys with upper level balconies and wood railings. No dumping sign, one house has no garage

below:  And then there are the houses that look like they have never changed.  This one still has the old asphalt shingle siding in fake brick colour.

laneway view of the back of houses, small 2 storey houses

We came across this Joe Road front yard where someone must be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

small sign that says Joe Rd, blue, with a Toronto Maple Leafs symbol on it as well, mounted on a piece of wood in a frontyard

below: This is the view of Joe Road from across the street, the neighbour’s view

a house with a small frontyard with a short black fence around it. the yard is full of stuff, decorations

below: The yard is full of stuff, knickknacks of all sorts.  The interior is dark and some of it is difficult to see without trespassing.  Some of it is held together with spray foam insulation.

mix of stones, a small toy skull, a plastic face, birch bark, all held together with spray insulation

below: A fish on a plaque, a black and white cow, and that red and white thing – is that a painted rock?  What kind of symbol is that (if anything)?

stuff in a front yard, fish plaque, black and white toy cow, red ball, stones,

below: Superman, a chicken, a cow, a man’s head carved out of stone, a large blue Disney something or other, and various other toys and trinkets piled high.

decorations and knick knacks on display in a front yard, a black chicken, superman, a stone man's head, other toys and trinkets

below: Darth Vader (but with a bit of extra white?) and an owl guard the upper level.

a large darth vader and a white owl stand over a front yard.

below: Another yard, another set of animals.  This time it’s a pelican, an orange butterfly, and a sheep in a little garden that looks like so neat and tidy.  Someone has put a lot of work into this space.  Two yellow tulips are in bloom – they are real but I’m not sure that the orange lily is.

small circular garden at the base of a tree with a fake pelican and sheep. two yellow tulips

below: Creativity on a slightly grander scale (complete with “Beware of the dog” sign).

front of a house with steps leading to porch with white statues, curved arches, white railing,

below: Hiding his face.  The enemy remains unseen.

small stone statue of a samauri warrior between two sets of stairs, with a hosta plant behind it that hides the head of the statue

One sign that you are in Little Italy or Little Portugal is the requisite religious icon by the front door

religious plaque, Christ, on blue house beside front door

Little Italy and Little Portugal both claim portions of College Street

below: The mural on the side of a building at College and Crawford celebrates Branca Gomes who was the first Portuguese teacher in Toronto.  She started teaching in 1964 at the First Portuguese School on Augusta.  She also taught at Alexander Muir Elementary from 1969 to 1974.  The small green space in front of the mural is the Portuguese Pioneers Parkette.

mural, Portuguese teacher in a classroom

below: Across the street from Branca Gomes is this  mural.  in 1937 Sam Sniderman, along with his brother Sidney, opened Sniderman’s Music Hall record department in the family store at 714 College Street.  They later moved the store to Yonge Street where it became ‘Sam the Record Man’ (or colloquially, Sam’s).  In their heyday, the early 1980s, there were 140 Sam the Record Man stores across Canada.  The mural was painted by sumartist (aka Paul Glyn-Williams).

L'Italia mural with orange stripe on top, man sitting reading newspaper about Sam the Record Man, another person standing beside, also a black cat

Toronto street signs, Little Italy, College Street and Grace Street

below: Neither Italian nor Portuguese but Slovenian in a mosaic above the door to a church.  Marija Pomagaj, Mary of Perpetual Help, or more loosely, Mary, Help of Christians.

mosaic image of Mary and baby Jesus, both wearing crowwns, mary in a blue dress with a red robe, words say Marija Pomagaj

below:  Greens, yellows, and purples in the vertical panes of glass.  What this photo fails to show is that the green and purple form two large cross shapes on the front of this church, the Toronto Spiritualist Temple on College Street.  There is a third cross, in blue, to the left of the purple.

coloured glass windows in vertical stripes, in shades of green and yellow, can see interior staircase through the colours

below:  This billboard above the Ladybug Tavern on College is actually part of the CONTACT Photography Festival.  Two figures draped in yellow stand under a palm tree, one of whom is wearing a bird-like mask.   It is part of “Window into Bassam” by Nuits Balnéaires, an artist from the Ivory Coast (where Grand-Bassam is a city).

billboard above shops on college street, is a part of contact photography festival,

half of a semi divided house remains after the other half has been demolished

old brick buildings on College Street, now store fronts, three storeys tall,

below: At College and Ossington, a mural by Alice Pasquini (in  partnership between the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto, the College Promenade BIA and the City of Toronto).

mural on building at College and Ossington, bus stop in front of it, with people waiting for the bus.

We explored a few alleys …  where we encountered a few faces and strange creatures

on a brick garage in an alley, painted white but paint fading, a red face of two eyes and big lips

blue blob guy graffiti, no arms and legs, two eyes overlapping, one big tooth

No faces in this lane but the barbecue looks shiny and new… and ready to use.

brown wood fence in an alley, with small opening so the barbecue in the backyard is visible

below: How many raccoons live here?!

in an alley, a broken wood garage door with some graffiti on it

below: Infill housing? – with an air conditioner and a satellite dish.

old square brick structure with garage door on lower level, balcony on roof

a jumble of houses and back yards, from a laneway

below: Black Lives Matter 24/7 in both directions

black lives matter sign turned into a street sign and posted on a pole beside a no parking sign, on a toronto street corner

Graffiti that we saw:

below: The man behind the mask, by Bruho

sticker on a metal pole by bruho, man in blue mask, topless, white pants, stands beside a woman reclining on a couch, text says man behind the mask

below: A stencil of a penguin and its little one

black and white stencil of a penguin parent and little one, one cement block wall of garage in alley

below: Paper paste-up of a lions head with its eyes blacked out.

paper paste up gaffiti of a black and white realistic drawing of lion's head with black bar through its eyes

black and white graffiti sticker of a woman crying, with white flowers, on a pole by chainlink fence

 

With thanks to Merle and Nancy who went wandering with me that morning.

two women alking on a street with two large houses and white car parked

continuing from Dundas West

Posted: April 19, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art, locations, people, reflections
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Ready to roll again?!

people walking on sidewalk, past a sign for a sushi restaurant that says lets roll

 The last blog post ended at Dundas West Station where the Giraffe Building sits on the northwest corner of Bloor and Dundas  …. so let’s picked it up from there…..

large billboard on top of two storey building with upper level painted like a giraffe in brown and yellow, bottom level covered with ads and graffiti

If you go north on Dundas from here you’ll find yourself in the Junction.

below:  A quick peak north on Dundas West at Edna (first block north of Bloor).

southwest corner of Edna and Dundas West, standing in front of Mcdonalds at the subway station, a bus, some people walking, a man leaning against a telephone pole.

But not today.  Today we’re heading south on Dundas until it meets up with Roncesvalles.  Then we’ll walk generally north and east until we cross Dundas at Sorauren.  A brief stroll north on Sterling will bring us back to Bloor.   That’s the plan!

man holds a coffee cup as he walks past adverts on side of giraffe building

two people standing beside defaced mural in support of front line workers, dundas west and bloor

below: Crossing Bloor at Dundas

a couple walking together, crossing Bloor, with dollarama store and brick highrise apartment building behind them

man holds a piece of plaid fabric in his outstretched arms as he walks past advertisements on exterior of giraffe building

wood cutouts of people doing things, man holding a ball above his head, painted, mounted on exterior of red brick building, a school,

large painting of a glass half full of milk, on exterior of red building, word full written on the milk, beside Bloor Street fitness, with a large white boxing glove outside

below: Waiting by Jimmys Coffee

looking across Dundas West towards Jimmys Coffee, people waiting to cross with traffic light

below: Walking their bikes

a young man walks his bike on sidewalk past a store, reflections in the window
walking on Roncesvalles, a woman in a maroon skirt, a couple walking together

below: Jac’s Milk on Roncesvalles still has a mural depicting the 504 King streetcar.  The boys at the table were selling eye protectors for watching the solar eclipse (that dates this walk!)

Jac's Milk convenience store on a corner on Roncesvalles, TTC streetcar in mural on the side of the building, a person on a bike in the foreground

a woman walks her dog on the sidewalk, Roncesvalles

below: White Corner Variety

a person on a bike riding north on Roncesvalles, past Whites Corner Variety

below: Outclass reflections

a woman sits on a bench in front of a store window

below: Jogging on Roncesvalles

two women jogging on Roncesvalles at Howard Park

two young asian men working at a fruit and vegetable market, goods on sidewalk, some people passing by, a pile of orange in the foreground

below: Totally gutted

view from alley behind, most of interior of house has been gutted for a renovation

below: Also under renovations is the Hindu Prarthana Samaj Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Toronto.  Prior to being demolished, this was an old church building dating from 1886.  First it was Ruth Street Presbyterian Mission and then later it became Fern Avenue Church of Christ until the Prarthana Samaj congregation bought the building in 1979.  Soon it will look more like a Hindu temple!

hindu temple being renovated behind hoardings

backyard views, from laneway behind

garages in alley, dark green garage door, bright blue wall,

below: Flowers on the side of a garage in an alley

pinkish peach colour lily painted on a wall in an alley, also a purple rose in the painting

 

graffiti on a brick wall in an alley, blue eyes with text eyez

sticker of a heavily armed police man with a large gun on a pole in an alley

sign upside down, yellow sign says slow, alley,

below: New infill in an alley

new infill house in an alley

below: With another one under construction nearby.   Construction of these laneway homes was allowed beginning in the summer of 2018.  Since then, their popularity has blossomed.

infill housing being built in an alley, plywood

below: Wilson’s Variety & Grocery on a corner in a residential area.

small convenience store on a corner in a residential area, Wilson's Variety and Grocery says green and yellow sign across the top of the window, black bars on the window, Canada Post mailbox in front of the store,

small narrow house, two storey, large tree in front, gingerbread trim under eaves, very small front yard,

house on Sorauren, white fence in front, red trim on porch and awning over window

backyards, alley view, one with lots of stuff in the yard

below: No payment entertainment and BE BETTER where Sorauren meets Dundas West.

where Sorauren meets Dunda West, a big billbord, an old yellow building, and another building with the words be better written in big white capital letters

below: Same corner, southwest side.  Pink door beside Timmy’s Variety.

southwest corner of Sorauren and Dundas West, building with large white sign and pink features

below: The West Toronto Railpath runs up the east side of the railway tracks.

West Toronto Railpath north from Dundas West,

concrete supports under bridge, Bloor Street over railway tracks, covered with graffiti,

below: You can tell by the sweet chocolatey smell in the air that Nestle is still making chocolate bars and other candy here.

Nestle factory, with large faded ad for Aero chocolate bars

walkway bridge over Sterling Ave at Nestle plant

sign on grey corrugated metal wall that says Nestle, coffee crisp

below: You are greater than everything

orange diamond shape construction sign that has been painted over in yellow and blue, stencil of an open hand holding a flame, text that says you are greater than everything

below: Halfway up Sterling Ave, around the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), there has been a flurry of development activity.

back corner of MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, with new construction of a new building beside it, crane on top of new building, sign on the back of MOCA that says over asking under taking

Sterling Ave., new building under construction on right, MOCA on left, museum of contemporary art

below: Development on the north side of MOCA.

looking across a flattened vacant lot. dirt, to a line of new townhouses, as well as older single family homes with large trees in the backyard

looking down the side of a house, to see new townhouses in the background

old used concrete barriers lined up beside each other, being stored in a vacant lot, behind a fence

below: A pair of anser eyes

man in red wool hat taking a picture of anser eyes graffiti on grey wall

below: Land Back, Turtle Island style.

poster on a wood pole, turtle with red sash around middle, words that say land back

below: Catchoo paste-up, catching a hand grenade

small graffiti pasteups by catchoo, two green outstretched hands reaching for a hand grenade

below: One wet fish dripping on Feelings Boi.   The fish is probably the work of Rowan McCulloch.

feelings boi sticker, as well as a sticker with a black and white image of a fish

below: More houses….

older brick two storey single family home with single upper storey window, also a porch across the front of the house, with white metal railing on porch

two storey bay and gable house, painted blue with white trim

two storey bay and gable house, red brick,

chair on a porch with 3 pizza boxes on it, also a bike on the porch

below: A row of bay and gable houses.

row of two and three storey bay and gable houses, large tree in front

houses on Bloor West near Sterling

addition to front of house, extends to sidewalk, large window in front, with reflections, walls are painted in mural with purple sky, blue and red trees, and green grass

below: And that brings us back to Bloor …. Bloor Gift and Smoke Shop across the street from the north end of Sterling Ave

on Bloor West, at Sterling, old red brick building, with Bloor Gift and Smoke Shop

below: Looking west on Bloor from Perth.  The southwest corner remains vacant.  Old concrete steps go nowhere now, and haven’t for many years.  The old tires are a more recent addition to the landscape.  Unfortunately this one of the many sites in the city where development is in limbo.  As early as 2010 there was a 12 storey building proposed on this site (1439 Bloor West plus 80 Perth).  At the moment, there seems to plans in the works for a 14 storey building but the plans seem rather fluid (i.e. they keep changing).

intersection of Bloor and Perth, with vacant lot on southwest corner

below: Back in 2014 or 2015, the concrete walls of this underpass were painted with murals. Now almost all of it is tagged over or scrawled on. It’s a mess.

entrance to toronto railpath beside tracks on Bloor Street, concrete walls covered in graffiti

below: UP Express train stopped at Bloor West station on its way to Pearson Airport.  The UP Express was in the news this past week because Metrolinx decided to change the scheduling such that half the trains no longer stop at the Bloor and Dundas stations.   Cue the now-normal Doug Ford flip flop when there was a lot of very verbal backlash from the commuters that use these stations.  The regular schedule has resumed.

UP Express train in station, reflected in the windows of building on other side of tracks

From here it is a hop, step and a jump back to Dundas West station.

In case you are interested –  Ten years ago, the building that houses MOCA stood alone. Its life as part of Tower Automotive had ended and its new life as a gallery hadn’t yet begun.  Previous posts:

Tower Automotive 2013
Tower Automotive 2014
First visit to the new MOCA 2018

from Keele to Dundas West

Posted: April 11, 2024 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art
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A short walk between two subway stations….

below: Westbound subway enters Keele station.

black and white photo of a TTC subway headed to Kipling, enters Keele station at section of track that is above ground, buildings in the background

below: A view to the east of Keele subway station where the tracks are elevated and there is a large parking lot underneath (free parking on the weekend!).

elevated subway tracks on east side of keele station, with parking lot below and pedestrian entrance, highrises in the background

below: Some of the buildings that formed the north wall of the parking lot beside Keele station are no longer all there.  Only one of the buildings remains.

street art on the back of a brick building, parking lot in front

below: The demolished buildings were covered with street art including a mural featuring King Midas.  Where he used to be there is now a tall crane above and a large hole below.  Increasing density at transit stops is a good idea but this is yet another square box in glass and steel with bland and nondescript street level “appeal”.  I am not sure if it is the developers or the city planning office that is responsible for the lack of imagination and/or variety at street level; that requires more research and another blog post.

large crane and orange barriers along the edge of a construction site on bloor near keele station

below: When buildings come down, others are revealed.  Angles briefly open up.  Obviously (now) LMP, JETR, TEMPO and friends were here.

large tags on outside of building revealed when building beside was demolished

below: Running behind the south side of Bloor is this alley There has been street art here for years.

graffiti and street art in an alley behind Bloor near Keele subway station

below: Some of that street art, like this Uber5000 painting, remain intact.  Lucky yellow birds!  It’s also nice to see an old Lovebot (upper left corner).

uber 5000 mural with three yellow birdies sitting around a red table. One is reading a newspaper

below: Others haven’t fared so well – A waving hand and the top of a red cap are all that remain of this Elicser Elliott piece.  I doubt that the fat white letters are an improvement but that’s the way it goes.

old mural by elicser mostly tagged over by giant white fat letters, only the very top of original can be seen 0 a red cap and a hand.

below: An urban night scene.  King Kong once stood over it.

part of a mural, night scene, city, highrises with lights on, in black and white

below: Someone has hung this little framed picture on an exterior wall.  I think that it is an image of a flower or plant of some sort.

small framed picture surrounded by graffiti on an exterior wall in a lane

below: Another Uber5000 work with a yellow birdie in a red cap.

uber 5000 mural in an alley, a yellow bird in a red cap, a man with square red framed glasses

below: A Buddha prays among the lotus flowers and leaves.

mural in back of building, with window above it, stairs in front of it, buddha, lotus flowers and lotus leaves

murals on two sides of a building in an alley,

below: Another mural that has been left untouched is Movie Art Decor featuring Alfred Hitchcock directing ‘Psycho’ along with Marilyn Monroe and a topless Bruce Lee.

movie art decor mural in black and white with Alfred Hitchcock and Bruce Lee

a white swan painted on a sidewalk box

below: It looks a bit like a big white shark is coming after us.

text throw up tag street art

below: Stop!

a hand with open palm in a mural beside a small sign that says parking reserved

below: Remembering 1995.

text graffiti scrawled on wall, says remember 1995, of course not

below: Sunny backyard spaces

single storey extension on the back of a building in an alley, with street art painted on the side,

below: More backyard spaces.

small steps up grassy hill at the back of a building, alley view

below: Looking west towards Keele Station – alley, subway tracks, and a few highrises.

an alley behind bloor, looking west towards keele subway station

below: Waiting at Dundas West Station

a man in a red jacket sits on a bench at Dundas West station, waiting between two TTC streetcars

Dundas West station is at Dundas and Bloor.  Also on this corner is the Giraffe Building.   Many years ago (2007?) this property was bought by a developer who wanted to build the Giraffe Condos, a 27 storey project.  To promote the condo development, the typical two storey stores that were there became the Giraffe building that we have now.  But the city rejected that proposal saying that the structure was too high and the site seems to have been in limbo ever since.  It has changed hands a number of times.

along Dundas West, east side of giraffe building,

  In 2018 the site, along with one or two adjacent properties was purchased by a partnership between two companies, Trinity & Timbercreek.  Lo and behold, a 27 storey condo with 354 units was proposed and this time accepted.   Back to square one?    But that isn’t the end of the story… In January the site was back on the market.   It looks like not much is going to change for a while yet.

below: Northwest corner of Dundas and Bloor with a streetcar covered in a lipstick advertisement.

northwest corner of Dundas and Bloor, people crossing with green light, TTC streetcar covered in ad for lipstick, giraffe building,

below: Graffiti break dancer behind the Giraffe building

red on white painting of a break dancer, graffiti

below: Sarah has claimed the cat in the doorway.  Cool hat.

cat cartoon character, with purple hat over its eyes, white trench coat, mural in a doorway in an alley

below: A green laser beam from a fiery eye?  A burning tall skinny structure (like the CN Tower)?

external metal staircase outside building beside a mural on the other wall, an eye, with red flames on the top, a green laser-like beam coming out of the eye

below: That’s a strange way to open a door.

doorway mural, male character, in green clothing
below: A miserable little impish guy with an oversized green tongue.

If you are interested in the street art in the alley above,  there is a blog post from 2015 titled ‘old friends’ that shows more pictures (from 9 years ago!).  You can get a better idea of what has changed and what hasn’t.  King Midas is there too.

clearing the words

Posted: April 4, 2024 in graffiti and street art, locations
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Back in January I blogged about some graffiti that looked like signs, i.e. they just had text on them (The word about town). A couple of the signs that we had seen were hidden behind shrubs and weeds that started to overgrow the site.  The other day I was passing by the old houses where those signs were posted and noticed that someone had cleaned the site up.

Also, the artist responsible for these signs is Nigel Smith.

blue plywood hoardings with signs on them, large house behind the hoardings with balcony on upper level

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say Hiding in plain sight

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say true to form

hoardings with signs on them, blue painted plywood, snow on roof of abandoned house,

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say money is no object

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say can't happen here

view above the hoardings, abandoned house, upper level, old white balcony, brick house, satelite dish, brick chimney,

graffiti signs by Nigel Smith, with words that say blood in the water

The “graffiti” signs look as legitimate as the owner/developer’s signs.

sign that says keep out private property under video surveillance has had orange spray paint sprayed on it

Four houses on Woodbine plus a house on Buller to be demolished to make way for a 4 storey building with 67 units.  Shock – didn’t Doug Ford just say that 4 storeys makes a Tower!  A hated tower that nobody wants?  Does he have any idea how many 4 storey residential units there are in this city?  And how many more are in the process of being developed?

city of toronto notice of development in front of a row of empty houses with blue hoardings in front, sidewalk, a couple of trees,

Right across the street from this site are quite a few buildings (residential) that are 4 storeys high. This is only a small part – they have been there for years now.

row of four storey residential buildings on woodbine avenue

wandering the alleys

Posted: March 16, 2024 in alleys, construction, doors, graffiti and street art, old buildings
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….of Dovercourt and Bloorcourt (south of Dupont and east of Dufferin)

blue and white banner on a utility pole, dovercourt village

Apparently there are over 250 kilometres of alleys and lanes in Toronto.  I am not sure how many are in the Dovercourt Village neighbourhood, but here are some pictures of what I saw when I walked the other day.

looking down a laneway to where it dead ends at a residential street with two storey brick houses, there is ablack picket fence in the alley, the house on the left in the alley is being renovated and has scaffolding covering the side

In many ways there is a similarity to most lanes – the garages and fences, the two storey houses, mostly brick, a few old trees, and the pavement in rough shape but there is always some interesting things to be found.

looking down a toronto alley, no dumping sign, garages, back of brick house, glass and steel highrise condo in the background

below: Somehow the back part is still standing!

backyard of a two torey house, view from alley with fence down, wood addition on brick building is old and falling apart

backyards and rear of houses, view from the lane behind

below: A narrow, skinny house with an extra layer of blue tarp privacy.

blue tarp over a fence behind a house in an alley

below: Happy dancing in the streets of Toronto – or close enough!

on a white garage door in a lane, a black line drawing of the CN Tower, 3 people dancing, the sun, a tree and two dogs

garage in an alley with street art on door and on side of building. on the side is white throwup on exploding red, yellow, and orange background

parking space in alley with chain across it, garage,

below: Monsters romping and flying around the black and white city

white garage in an alley, with a red man door, drawing and painting on the wall

below: “I want a cup of chai from the former Pink Palace”.

graffiti in an alley, black animal (cow?) on brown, with text, I want s cup of chai from the former pink palace

brick tower, perhaps steeple in the background, brick house in the middle, and a small garage with graffiti on door, large tree in the foreground

view looking down an alley to where it ends at a street with houses, large tree in the foreground, tall white apartment building in the background

below: An infill house in the lane.

black clad two storey house, dwelling, infill in an alley

below: And another infill….

black clad two storey house, dwelling with a large window facing the alley on the upper floor, infill in an alley

below: Large blue bear mural on a garage door by Jeff Blackburn

mural by Jeff Blackburn of a large blue bear face with maroon nose and mouth, white teeth, furry,

view of adjacent houses from the alley behind

chainlink gate between two garages in an alley, with view into backyard

upside down street sign that says no parking in the alley, backs of houses in the background

below: Falling apart.  Fake brick.  Asphalt based siding such as this bit here became a popular  alternative to painting  wooden structures as early as the 1930’s.  It was very popular in the 1940’s and the 1950’s in North America where it was used both for low-cost housing (and garages) and for covering the deteriorated exterior walls of older homes.

old fake brick asphalt tiles broken, on a wood garagebelow: A few simple flowers

a simple mural of flowers on a garage door in an alley, with house next door under renovations

below: and a garage in need of some paint and TLC.

view from an alley, an old wood garage in peeling teal paint, two storey brick house with a small wood balcony on the upper level

below: “We are all sacred”.  Scared might work too.

words scrawled on a wall that say we are all sacred

below: Art before dishes – a wonderful sentiment that I hope you agree with!

on a brown garage door in black marker, a line drawing of a person holding a light, and text that says art before dishes

below: Another garage door, some more peeling paint, and a faded face with pointy ears.

paint peeling on a reddish brown metal garage, old line drawing in yellow paint of a face, splotchy where bare metal can be seen

in a lane, looking at the back of a house with a yellow door and a dark green garage

below: Building back and up

alley view of the back of a house that is being updated and renovated, most of the back is covered with plywood

below: An oldie, a Lovebot the robot

an old red and white lovebot sticker on a no parking sign on a garage in an alley

below: A surprise find, and another oldie – I didn’t realize that any of these old Rob Ford portraits by Spudbomb still existed. This one dates from 2011.  Remember those days?

black paint on a white garage door, an old spud bomb painting of Rob Ford, ex-mayor of toronto, painted in 2011

below: Bastards in rust

rusty hinge on wood gate, with word bastards scratched into the metal

concrete wall under metal window frame, rust has stained the concrete, two white eyes have been drawn on the rusty part so now it looks like a face

below: I am going to pretend that it says “Tag here”.

graffiti on a wall that says tag here

low view of alley showing mostly the pavement, cracked with dirt and wet spots, some garages along the sides

below: One more garage door

garage in alley, white door with street art on it

below: Someone’s lurking above us

small alley

below: One large iguana, or perhaps a chameleon.  Whichever it is, it doesn’t look very happy.

large green iguana in a mural, looks unhappy

below: The brick building is on Dovercourt, just north of Bloor…. which is as good a place as any to end….  until next time that is.

whit truck parked in a lane with construction on both sides, on dovercourt, just north of bloor

banner on a utility pole, bloorcourt,

southern Spadina, from Dundas to Ireland.

Posted: March 9, 2024 in alleys, intersections, locations, stores, transportation, waterfront, windows and walls
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Spadina has many faces –  It starts at Eglinton as Spadina Road where it runs south through Forest Hill.  It’s journey southward then continues through a number of different parts of the city including a spot where there is a block missing at Casa Loma.  Pedestrians can use the Baldwin Stairs but traffic has to detour around the castle.   At Bloor it changes to Spadina Avenue and widens to allow streetcar access down the middle of the road.   Here, it is also the western edge of the University of Toronto.

Just north of College Street,  Spadina becomes Spadina Crescent as it forms a circle around what is now the Daniels Faculty of Architecture building.   South of College Street to Dundas  the neighbourhood is somewhat eclectic with a mix of Kensington Market and Chinatown.

three people waiting for a green light before crossing spadina, a woman in a long yellow and grey plaid coat and a couple talking to each other

on a pole at an intresection, a yellow button for crossing signal plus lots of papers, posters and graffiti, a cyclist goes north on spadina in the background

people buying fruit and vegetables from a market, on the sidewalk,

chinese food store on spadina, with some items on display on the sidewalk

2 asian women on sidewalk, talking together, one has a clear plastic bag with 2 cauliflowers in it.

below: Celtuce and asparagus for sale.  Celtuce was new to me – I’ve never seen it before.  It is also called also called stem lettuce, celery lettuce, asparagus lettuce, or Chinese lettuce.  Unlike other lettuces, it is the stem that is eaten (although the leaves are also edible).

box of celtuce for sale at a fruit and vegetable market in chinatown, also a box of asparagus tied in bundles,

below: Collaborative mural under the window, the work of June Kim and Curtia Wright. East meets West, painted back in October.

mural with tigers and women face, under window on chinatown store

part of mural with tigers and women face, under window on chinatown store

a woman walks along spadina, pulling a shopping bag on rollers, walking past a store with displays on the sidewalk

head mannequin of a young boy, wearing a fur hat, in the window of a store

window display of asian chinese store in chinatown on spadina, metal grille in window as well, tea cups, silver piggybank, porcelain figurines,

below: Holy Chinatown window Batman!

window display, chinese and asian new year items, lots of red, plus one batman toy in blue

below: A Canada Post mailbox decorated originally with an image of the Year of the Rat (from Lunar New Year calendar) stamp issued in 2020.

side of a canada post mailbox with chinese characeters, one male and one female, on the side, also stickers and graffiti slaps on it

below: Waiting for the streetcar

a young man is waiting for ttc streetcar on spadina, standing in front of an advertisement featuring the large face of a woman

a large yellow school bus turns right onto spadina from queen street, two men are standing by the street car tracks

below: Looking eastward along Queen Street West with a web of streetcar wires overhead and many tracks underfoot.   The new Ontario Line subway will cross here with a new Queen-Spadina station being planned.   Between Sherbourne (Moss Park) and Spadina the Ontario Line will be under Queen Street.  West of here the tracks will swing south to a station at King and Bathurst.

looking east along queen street from spadina, people crossing the street, ttc wires above and tracks at street level

below: Another eastward looking view, this time from a bit farther south at Adelaide, a street that has become canyon-like as it makes it way through the older brick buildings in foreground and then the taller glass buildings as it gets closer to Yonge Street and the downtown core.

people crossing Adelaide Street at Spadina, looking eastward along Adelaide with Yonge street in the distance, large tall buildings on both sides of adelaide

below: And a little bit more south again… the CN Tower rises into the fog as it peeks out between two glass condo buildings at King and Spadina.  South of King is the new development “The Well” that opened recently.  I have blogged about it previously (Well, Well, Well, 27 Nov 2023)

CN tower peaks through between two highrise glass condo buildings, above where two people are repainting a billboard

Spadina is also a major access point to Lakeshore Blvd and the Gardiner Expressway.  This section of the road is rather barren if you are on foot (unless you are a concrete aficionado LOL)

below: Another eastward view – Both Lakeshore Blvd westbound (but not eastbound!) and the Gardiner Expressway are elevated and they run parallel as they cross over Spadina.

ramp to the gardiner expressway, plus upper levels of the gardiner, looking east from spadina

below: Standing on the northwest corner of Spadina and Queens Quay.  This is where Spadina ends – at the waterfront with some of the docks and parks that have been redeveloped in recent years.

a couple stands on the northwest corner of spadina and queens quay

below: Looking north up Spadina from Queens Quay.

view from queens quay looking north up spadina, with gardiner crossing over, lots of ttc streetcar wires overhead

below: Look!  Continue walking towards the waterfront but be careful crossing the bike lanes of the Martin Goodman Trail!

on the street, paved with bricks, the word look has been painted in blue on white background,

below: Spadina Wave Deck

Spadina Wave Deck on Queens Quay, where the sidewalk arches up over the water, glass condos rise up in the background

below: The Omni Coastal, a tug boat, is docked at Spadina Quay.

a boat tied up at a dock, with city street scene behind

thick grey rope wrapped around a metal post

below: Pulling back a little farther… the CN Tower is still hiding in the fog.

toronto waterfront at spadina quay, omni coastal tug boat is docked, condos on the waterfront, CN tower obscured by fog, grey cloudy day

below: Ahoy matey!

caution sign on a wood tree planter that someone has written the word pirates on, so sign now says caution, pirates!
below:   It’s a much quieter scene in the winter when fewer boats are here.  In the background, the Canada Malting Company silos still stand strong.

view of Toronto waterfront, looking west from Spadina Quay, towards large Canada Malting Co silos, boats in the foreground, but not many because it's winter, some wrapped in white, foggy grey day

lamp post, black with downward curved top, in music garden, with condos behind,

below: Looking for the signs of spring and finding the beginnings of tulips and daffodils in the Music Garden

small daffodils and tulips starting to grow in a garden in front of a large willow tree

small wood bird house with a blue roof hanging from the branch of a tree

below:  Some useful information: “Bathrooms, Where can they be found?”  Number one on the list is Billy Bishop Airport and I can attest to the fact that yes, they have bathrooms (check in the ferry terminal building).

sign on sidewalk on waterfront re information on where to find a bathroom in the area

below: Another red tugboat in the fog – this one is the Radium Yellowknife.

red fire boat docked at Toronto waterfront, on a foggy day

below: The silos have been under wraps as they have been renovated.

scaffolding and blue tarps around the curved ends of the canada malting co silos

below: Built on reclaimed land in the early 1900s, the silos have been empty since 1987 and  had fallen into disrepair.   Although they are now missing a couple of letters, the silos are in much better shape.  I am not sure if there is any use planned for the structures but the site is being turned into a park, Bathurst Quay Common.

below: If you walk past the silos, you come to Ireland Park with its memorial to those who fled the Irish famine in the 1840s.   The park also has seven sculptures cast in bronze by Rowan Gillespie of Dublin Ireland. The installation is called ‘Arrival’.  These figures match an earlier installation on the Customs House Quay in Dublin, ‘Famine’ (1997).  A third installation in Tasmania Australia completes the trilogy.

In Ireland Park statue of man, very thin, ragged clothes, upraised arms, representing Irish immigrants to Toronto during Irish famine in 1847

head and shoulders of a cast bronze statue of an Irish immigrant at Ireland Park on Toronto waterfront, part of a memorial to Irish immigrants to Canada during the famine years in the 1840s

below: Along the exterior walls of the silos, a few signs have been posted that tell the story of Irish immigration to Canada.  This is one of those signs.

sign half in English and half in French that tells the story of the ship called The City of Toronto that brought irish immigrants to Canada in 1847.

Arrival of the City of Toronto – When the steamer City of Toronto dropped anchor at Rees’s Wharf on Sunday, 6 June 1847, City officials had no way of knowing the boat was a harbinger of the chaotic and overwhelming migration season to come.  The City carried 700 people.  More than half of the adults on board were “indigent” migrants from Ireland, all traveling at the expense of the government. 
Given reports of ongoing distress and hunger in Ireland, the volume of immigrants was expected to be high that year, but Toronto was still unprepared for the tidal wave of Irish Famine immigrants now cresting its shores.  Toronto, with its population of 20,000 would eventually receive 38,000 immigrants in 1847. 
Steamships arrived filled to capacity with passengers exhausted and sick from their weeks-long journey.  Many of those who had been deemed healthy by doctors at Grosse Ile were beginning to show signs of typhus.  
The logistics of receiving, triaging, housing, treating and transporting (or burying) this wave of newcomers fell to a group of municipal and provincial officials, who had to make do with rudimentary medical and settlement infrastructure and resources.

black and white photograph of a woman sitting at the back of a streetcar, looking through the window

 

from Harbord to Dundas via Kensington

Posted: January 18, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, locations, reflections, stores
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…. or thereabouts.

It started with a stop that was earlier than planned.    I was on my way to meet a friend in Kensington but that morning my walk started closer to Harbord because the 510 car wasn’t going anywhere.  An incident on a streetcar involving the police means the whole route gets backed up.

streetcars stopped on Spadina, police car with lights flashing stopped beside the one in front

below: This building on the west side of Spadina (372/374 Spadina) has languished for a few years.  It falls within the Harbord Village HCD (Historic Community District) and there may have been a change of ownership.

large old houses on Spadina near harbord

below:   I tried researching the present status of the property but I came up empty. There is a building permit in the window but there are no signs of work being done.

old large brick house with front porch, building permit in window

below: My fellow TTC travellers and I walked the curve in Spadina.

people walking on the sidewalk, walking past large old brick houses

below: At the south end of the curve is Lord Lansdowne School which was built in 1960/1961 to replace an older school nearby and to accommodate the post-war population growth in the city.  The main part of the school is a nine-sided circular building with 18 tapered steel pylons radiating outward like flying buttresses.  The roof consists of folded concrete plates,

part of exterior of lord lansdowne school

below: A big chunk of anorthosite sits in the schoolyard.   Some of the rocks brought back from the moon are anorthosites.  But this isn’t a moon rock!  This type of rock isn’t found in many places in North America but there is some to the north of the city in the Canadian Shield region.  It is composed predominantly of feldspar.  It is an igneous rock which means that it was formed from the cooling and solidification of molten rock (such as lava).

large grey rock in a schoolyard with a plaque on it describing the rock

Plaque: “This basic igneous rock was found at a depth f 12 feet during the course of excavation for this school.  The composition is a very rare type and is  assumed to have been carried here from Caribou Lake north of Parry Sound by a glacier during the Great Ice Age approximately 12,000 years ago. “

below: Every Child Matters on the schoolyard fence

orange ties on fence to spell words every child matters

below: Also on the fence, parent and child walking hand in hand past the playground.

painted cutouts on a chainlink fence around lord lansdowne school, a mother and child holding hands

below: Intersection of Spadina and College, looking south.

intersection of college and spadina, looking south on spadina

below: A small disc mounted on a concrete pole – a tribute to Saul Gwartzman by Rocky Zenyck.  Gwartzmans Art Supply store is still on Spadina Ave.

circular brass piece, mounted on utility pole, a face in the middle of it, with words marked on it

Engraved in around the face on the disc, “We remember. Saul Gwartzman. Born on Spadina Avenue above the store where he supported artists in Toronto for decades, 1936-2019”

below: Walking on Spadina, south of College.

spadina, south of college, west side of the street, Smoke and Variety store, El Macombo tavern, people on sidewalk winter time, no leaves on trees,

below: Canadian souvenirs are unavailable at the moment!

store front on spadina, closed, with canada flags on door,
stores and buildings on the east side of Spadina, old brick buildings,

below: Dragons on the wall, Oxford Street.

dragon mural on red brick building

below: One of the Kensington poles with a globe at the top.  Another site in limbo – the hoardings are still around the lot on the southwest corner of  Baldwin and Spadina.  I wrote about them in Dec 2020 (post: a long time lingering) and they were old then.

Spadina Ave, pole for entrance to Kensington, with globe on the top

There were not many other people walking around Kensington that morning, we were a bit early for that.  Even without people, it is a neighbourhood that is full of colours and full of life.  Parts of it are run down and grubby but that rarely stops a photographer!  The next photos are a random sample of what we saw that day.

below: Looking west on Baldwin.  The king is on the wall.

looking west on Baldwin, yellow wall with painting of man with crown on head, on the side of one of the buildings

below: Kids for sale!

items in the window of a kensington cheese store, an old picture of queen elizabeth with words eat more queso, a piece of wood shaped like a goat with words kids for sale

below: Mice in the cheese store window.  There’s Mickey Mouse and the little brown mouse, Jerry, from another cartoon series as well as some not so famous rodents.

items in a cheese store window, toy mice, mickey mouse, flags of Greece, Serbia, and Singapore

below: Uncle Vintage at the other end.  The mural on the right is “When Math Meets Art”

looking down an alley in kensington, view of Uncle Vintage clothing at the end, murals on both sides of the alley

below: From a different angle. It was painted by Sasha Q (aka Oleksandra Stepanenko)

mural in blues and greys with title Math Meets Art on old brick building in Kensington

 

below: Mural of a blue crab by Nick Sweetman,

blue crab mural by nick sweetman

below: Look Mom Paint!

large words painted on the side of a building that say look mom paint

below: Three old black and white photos of Kensington scenes in the window of the Peruvian food store,

three old black and white photos of Kensington area in the window of a Peruvian store,

below: A bright and cheerful red daisy keeping an eye on things.

street art in a small corner on Baldwin Ave in kensington

below: “And then the streets became my notepad – GOD”

written in large black letters on a pinkish salmon coloured brick wall, and then the streets became my notepad, god

below: More hoardings and the consequent graffiti covering them.

below: It’s difficult to see, but some of the words written on the hoardings are “It’s hard but ur strong”.

below: Mark has left his mark.

a man with a walker walks past a white wall with a large purple painting of the name Mark in capital letters

below: The backside of Moonbean Coffee as seen from the alley behind.  Little faces in Paradise.

graffiti and street art on upper back part of moonbean coffee as seen from the alley behind

below: Yummy!  Mini Boston Cream Bombs on display in the window.

boston cream bomb donuts in the window of a donut store

below: Not so yummy?!

looking in the window of a fruit and vegetable store, large green squash and a pile of oranges beside the window

below: Pigeon fanciers, this one’s for you. It seems there were some takers.  Sorry, but I didn’t follow up with the research on this one so I am not sure what happens if you call!

poster on a wall with a street art face painted on it, poster is looking for pigeon fanciers to interview

below: Union Jack either faded to pink, or in trans colours?

hand painted union jack on a fence but the red has faded to pink

below: Super Serve on Dundas, across the street from People Hair Salon.

below:  It looks like Rowell Soder mural although he rarely paints the eyes – the mushroom top should give you a hint as to what this store sells.

below: I like yellow rubber duckies but I doubt that I would wear this many at once!

below: You grow girl!

below: She leans left.

below: Little yellow bald guys as well as some words written on a wall; they are Leonard Cohen lyrics.

“From Leonard Cohen Book of Mercy, …I heard my soul singing behind a leaf, plucked the leaf, but then I heard it singing behind a veil. I tore the veil, but then I heard it singing behind a wall. I broke the wall, and I heard my soul singing against me. I built up the wall, mended the curtain, but I could not put back the leaf. I held it in my hand and I heard my soul singing mightily against me. This is what it’s like to study without a friend.”

below: Mirror, mirror, on the wall..  A Sigil is a sign in magic or witchcraft or similar.

below: Mannequins in feathers….

below: … and mannequins in hats

a Kensington laneway

rusty white metal gate at the end of a walk in front of a blue house painted with white gingerbread trim

below: The mural on the left features a white egg with a large open mouth.  The text above it says, “Feed Eggs”.   Any ideas?

alley in Kensington, looking towards turquoise building, Courage my Love vintage clothing store

below: It’s Dick Dastardly and his dog Muttley

mural in alley, Dastardly and his dog muttley, cartoon characters

below: A mandolin player by SashaQ and a Phillip Saunders portrait in blue.

murals in a kensington alley, in the front is a mandolin olayer, then a portrait in blue.

 

below: Leftovers from both Halloween and Christmas

outside a house in Kensington, both halloween and christmas decorations, snowman

below: An eclectic collection of posters and notices cover a restaurant window… pictures of food as well as posters for  young Asian musicians.

signs and posters in the window of a chinese restaurant on spadina

below: Fight Your Demons

written on a wall in black paint, fight your demons

below: South on Spadina

spadina, looking south,

below: Spadina and Dundas

With many thanks to Merle for walking with me on that grey day!  We enjoyed wandering around the street and alleys and discovering what Kensington has to offer.  It was fun to have someone helping to find all the little bits and pieces that often get overlooked.   Here we found a party, or at least the remains of one.   All those little coloured blobs are actually shiny words that say “party”.   I hope that it was a good party!

woman wearing pink hat taking a picture with her phone of confetti on the sidewalk that is bits of shiny paper spelling the word party

Merle has a blog too where she meets and interviews interesting seniors (or seniors who are doing interesting things), Super Bubbies!  I forgot to ask her how old one needs to be a Bubbie and am I old enough?!!!  If you are interested in the photos that she took on this walk or you’re curious as to what makes aa Super Bubbie, check out Super Bubbies!  I find it fascinating how different people can walk the same route and come away with quite a different recollection of the walk.

Keep exploring!  Keep being super!

Kensington graffiti – January 2024 edition

Posted: January 16, 2024 in graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Yes, another Kensington post … to make it three in a row.

below:  A group with all eyes on their phones and perhaps all connected to the cloud.  But it’s a dark angry cloud, even a nuclear mushroom cloud, but nobody notices.

small paper graffiti stencil of a group of people in 3d glasses, all looking at their phones

below: On a Kensington pole, Visual Noise, Urban Ninja Squadron‘s T-bonez dressed as the farmer’s wife standing beside a very sturdy looking Sailor Dude Farmer from Ty Pro. A luchadore from Bruho waits below, ready for a fight….  “Bruho raced to fight the fascists.”

stickers on a pole in kensington

below: T bonez, this time with Bruho in a psychadelic pink and purple haze on a mushroom.

urban ninja squadron t bonez coloured picture, with a little catchoo

below: Catchoo’s little blue disc says save me but perhaps that’s what Tweety Bird should be saying – does he realize that the tiger is right behind him?! That’s no ordinary puddy cat! Paste-up by tweet_streetart (aka Tweet).

square catchoo face in pale blue and white on a pole with another slap of a tiger chasing tweety bird

below: Running ninjas , The Chosen Few

urban ninja squadron visual noise sticker, running while holding hands with bird

below: … and then he takes to the air.

t bonez graffiti slap, holding onto red helicopter whirlie blades

below: Another 33wallflower33 piece this time it involves kids and a horse.  I don’t want to know what the worm is up to or what might be going through it’s head (assuming worms have brains?).

33 wallflower 33 paste up of two kids on horse back, along with a catchoo worm sticker with its tongue stuck out

below: This threesome has seen better days.  On the left, in the original the woman is serving up Doug Ford’s head in a frying pan (33wallflower33).

33wallflower 33 black and white paste up besie a catchoo worm sticker along with a tweety street art cat holding a teddy bear

below:  There’s that worm again!  T-Bonez is now standing beside a cute koala and the woman in the 33wallflower33 piece is stripping down to her panties.  No frying pans or horses here!

graffiti on a pole along with street signs

below: “Death is just the beginning” Don’t you wonder what it’s the beginning of?

two text graffitis, small, on wall, one is written on brown tile and says death is only the beginning and the other is a white sticker written in blue

below: Sentient cookie (aka Cecil Tian) man with heavily tattooed arm, smoking…  with the poor fellow below crying his eyes out, almost literally.

below: Rubber Ducky

sticker, little yellow rubber ducky

below: There is another Sentient Cookie sticker at the top.  The red in the middle is the creation of Fernando Chamarelli

below: Markus

below: Stay hydrated!

sticker, black and white, man is drinking from an oil or gas container

below: Golden crown on blue painted metal, Rocky Zenyk.

metal, crown, on utility pole

below:  Hands holding a solid structure, home, from which nature, flowers and leaves, flourish.

engraved and coloured brass rectangle street art, beside part of a black and white mural

below: Grey metal this time, and words say” Forsan Miseros” across the top, above what appears to be a man praying.  He is surrounded by flames, beseeching the gods.  The full text is “Forsan miseros meliora sequetur” and it is Latin; the internet translates it as “For those in misery, perhaps better things will follow”.  Latin scholars may disagree.

below: completely covered

back of a traffic sign on dundas, completely covered with stickers

below: Little green paint roller army man running into battle, somewhere on the streets.  More political is the “Free Palestine” sticker above it (from them from whom?).

three stickers on a pole, a green army man with a paint roller in his hand, a free palestine sticker, and another

below: Hello my new friend

written on red on top of a black and white graffiti painting, the words, hello my new friend

Previous two Kensington street art posts:
1. blues, and more in a Kensington lane
2. Is everyone nice?

 

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