Posts Tagged ‘murals’

Rocco Mandalfino Lane

Posted: March 12, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

Looking north up Rocco Mandalfino Lane towards Dundas Street.

looking north up Rocco Mandalfino Lane, streetcar passing by the north end of the alley, wood fences, large trees, winter, graffiti on the garages, brick houses

garages with graffiti and street art on the doors, in a lane,

wood fences, and backs of brick houses, alley views, large trees, one small wall with street art in red and blue

throw up tag street art for g h crew, with one cartoon like character with black cap, lightning eyes, also text that says blood on your hands

Looking south

fence with graffiti and street art, lane in toronto, beside red brick house with yellow brick details, looking south in rocco mandalfino lane

small black and white painting or drawing on a wood utility pole, dogs walking,

large capital G and H in reds and purples, slanted backwards, mural

in an alley, a wood fence with upper level of houses seen above it

fences and red brick buildings in alley, with graffiti and street art on them, blue man's head, fence with white curly lines,

throw up tag calligraphy street art, light blue and light purple letters on purple and green background

close up of street art on asphalt shingles, spray paint in reds and blues, texture

graffiti street art mural,

pink panther street art in alley

street art on side of wood garage

garages with street art, rocco mandalfino lane

red angular text calligraphy type street art

blue and white city of toronto street sign for rocco mandalfino lane, with large brick houses behind

around Wilson station

Posted: March 4, 2025 in construction, locations, public art, transportation
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

yellowish vertical cladding, interior wilson subway station, with blue sign with arrow pointing to the left for northbound trains

Wilson subway station, on the University side of  Line 1, opened in 1978 and was the end of the line until Downsview station just to the north opened in 1996.  It is not a thing of beauty.  Concrete.   Austere from the outside.  It’s entrance from under the Allen Expressway is dark, gloomy, and depressing.

below: Northwest entrance to the station, nestled up against the Allen Expressway.

northwest entrance to wilson subway station, right next to the allen expressway

below: Walkway to southwest entrance

southwest entrance to wilson station, sidewalk through grassy area to entrance

That stretch of the subway runs down the median of the Allen Expressway.

 

below: Although the platform has a roof, it is open at the ends and in the winter it is cold.  There are a few of these pod-like waiting areas, circular glass structures with benches for those wanting a tiny reprieve from the wind.

on the platform of wilson subway station, circular pod-like structures made of glass, with benches, waiting areas

below: Inside the station a concrete wall sculpture by Ted Bieler entitled ‘Canyons’

very textural wall sculpture by artist ted bieler, called canyons, inside wilson subway station

two orange cones beside a phone booth against a concrete wall, interior, wilson subway station

What drew me here in the first place ….  To help brighten up the area, some of the concrete, both inside and out, has been covered with murals by Shalak Attack, Bruno Smoky, and Clandestinos,

below: An owl and a woman’s face at the two south entrances.

owl face, mural, around an entrance to Wilson subway station

clandestinos, or shalak attack, mural of a woman's face with butterflies and flowers, surrounding one of the double doors, entrance to wilson subway station

below: There is a lot of street art along Wilson Avenue but most of it is under the Allen Expressway and is not well lit. Some of it is also looking very dirty.

pillars painted with red and blue designs, under the allen expressway and beside wilson subway station

concrete pillar with street art, large brown fingers, people walking towards subway entrance

below: Pink flowers inside the station

part of a mural, inside wilson station, of bright pink flower

 

below: Circular “Kiss ‘n Ride” still exists.

round flat building, wilson kiss and ride, where cars can dropoff and pick up passengers

below: Exit at Wilson Heights

silhouette of man walking down hallway at wilson station, light coming through the door at the end of the passage, exit to wilson heights side of the station

below: Northeast side of the station, along with the Allen Expressway

northeast side of wilson subway station

I took most of these pictures back in the summer but I hadn’t taken the time to blog about what I had seen.  When I drove past Wilson again recently, I noticed that the parking lot on the east side (towards Wilson Heights) is now fenced off.  Now it is a snow covered vacant lot.

below: Parking lot before

bike parked outside wilson subway station

below: … and after. You can still park your bikes here, but no more cars.

vacant lot, snow covered, on the east side of wilson subway station

below: There is a City of Toronto development notice sign on the side of Wilson station.  It looks like the city may be serious about affordable housing at this site.  Apparently this has been in the works for a number of years but faced some opposition form those who wanted to keep the parking lot.   Just shy of 1500 units in six buildings are planned on the site along with community space and a public park.  The percent allotted to affordable housing varies from 35 to 48 percent, depending on the source of the information.

To the west of the station, on the north side of Wilson, is the remains of the Downsview Airport lands.

sign on chainlink fence around downsview airport that says airfield, 24 hour surveillance. it is covered with graffiti stickers,

looking through chainlink fence at old airport property, unused road with deteriorating pavement, buildings in the very distance, lots of grass and sky

below: One of the four winners of the ‘XOXO Downsview, Talking Fences’ competition of 2023, is “Aandi wenjibaayan?” which translates to “Where are you from?”  It was suggested by Lakhvir Sandhar.  The other three winners have their words displayed elsewhere on the Downsview property.

vintage photo taken from low flying airplane of bishop-barker airplane limited,

Photo credit: Toronto Public Library online digital image archive

The south side of Wilson is retail and is now Wilson Village.   It is also where you will find Billy Bishop Way named for Canadian pilot.  It is nowhere near Billy Bishop Airport (that’s WAAAAY south, on the island, or the other one in Owen Sound) but is a nod to Downsview’s history as an airfield and its role in airplane manufacturing.

William Avery Bishop was born in Owen Sound in 1894.  He was a Canadian flying ace during WW1.

toronto street sign for billy bishop way in wilson village, on wilson ave

side of home depot store, parking lot, wilson avenue

below: Looking southeast past the old metal fence that surrounds the parking on the northwest side of Wilson station.  Big box retail on the other side of Wilson, and newer midrise to highrise residential development on the other side of the Allen.

standing in parking lot on west side of wilson station, looking southeast towards allen expressway, retail big box stores on west of allen, new residential highrise on the east side

Very close to the planned “affordable housing” but on the south side of Wilson, there is already a new community being built.


There are many older single family homes to the east, in a quiet neighbourhood squeezed in between Wilson and the 401.

I even discovered an old moose hiding in the bushes!  The “Moose in the City” project goes way back to 2000 when 326 life-sized moose sculptures found homes around the city.  Each one was decorated by a local artist.   I am not sure how many still exist but it can’t be more than a fraction of the original.

Other moose: Scarborough moose near Kennedy and 401, moose at St. Clair and Bayview. Any others?

To the east, Wilson is becoming a canyon of midrise buildings, replacing the older residences, often fourplexes and sixplexes.

The development is more intensive as you get closer to the Allen and the subway line…

… on both the north and south side of Wilson

tiles, interior walls of wilson subway station, design of vertical and horizontal lines in pale yellow on rust coloured background

behind Dundas, near Dufferin

Posted: February 5, 2025 in alleys, construction, graffiti and street art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

below: View from a lane that runs behind the north side of Dundas West, walking west of Dufferin.   The alley also runs east of Dufferin but that will have to wait for another day.  The large brick building on Dufferin is St. Annes parish hall.  St. Annes church is behind, facing Gladstone Ave.  The vacant lot on left was a parking lot not long ago but now it is now a construction site.

man on bicycle, snow covered alley, vacant lot on left, backs of buildings on right, church at end of alley, St. Annes parish hall, workman arts

below: It looks like changes are coming on the Dundas West side of the lane as well.  A concrete wall/fence has been partially demolished and there are construction fences behind some of the buildings.  According to the Urban Toronto website, two 8 storey developments have been proposed – one fronting on Dundas and the other on Dufferin, with the alley remaining between them.

partial concrete wall, in an alley, with a row of buildings behind it, construction fence, snow,

below: Behind Dundas West… but not for much longer.

backs of two storey brown brick buildings, metal exterior stairs, doors, snow covered backyards,

below: Artwork by Cuban artist Supermalo5, aka Fabian Lopez  who always includes a little question mark in his work along with the incorrect equation 2 + 2 = 5

metal construction fence across the backyards of old brown brick buildings on Dundas West

construction site on Dufferin, just north of Dundas

construction site on Dufferin, just north of Dundas

fence around vacant lot, now construction site at lane and Dufferin, also at Boland Lane

alley view, back of old brick building with three doors on upper level, garage doors and single doors on lower covered in street art,

below: Two big round black eyes

behind 1512 Dundas West, a little mushroom shapred creature with two big black eyes, outlined in pink

below: Street art painting, abstract, by Mony Zakhour

street art mural by Mony Zakhour in alley behind Dundas West on garage door

close up of part of abstract mural by Mony Zakhour

street art mural by Mony Zakhour in alley behind Dundas West on green and yellow door

below: Screenshot from Google street view, captured in 2019.  The houses on the left are now gone – you can see the blue and white development notice sign in front of them.  They are now part of the vacant lot/construction site pictured above.  You can also see that the lane here is Boland Lane.  It runs perpendicular to Dundas West.

 

blue door with faded paint and a metal grille in front of it, beside a garage door with graffiti on it including the words Idle no more. Upper storey has an exterior door that goes nowhere

below: A quick look at what else is in Boland Lane

boland lane, looking towards back of dundas west, snow covered graffiti on walls of building on the left

below: “Embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable”

text graffiti that says embrace what makes you unique even if it makes others uncomfortable

below: “Perfection is the enemy of greatness”

text graffiti that says perfection is the enemy of greatness

graffiti on a grey wall, two images, one a woman in purple with blond hair and yellow t shirt and one more abstract, blue naked woman from waist up

old grey wood door in a grey building, with one rusty step, snow on step, graffiti on door and building

Continuing behind Dundas….

below: Layers, old and new as well as  wood, brick, and glass.

graffiti sticker, man's portrait in blue, on a black wall with red face graffiti behind

below: Rooftop decks and terraces above and street art covered garages below including a flaming hot kitty painted by Christina Mazzulla.

garage in laneway with street art murals on side as well as on garage door.

below:  A trio of grey masked foxes (wolves? dogs?) covering two doors.  This painting goes back to at least 2017 and possibly 2015 and before.

black and white mural on a garage door of at least three wolf-like creatures

below: The lane meets Awde Street, with a teal colored garage door.  Awde is only a block long, and is not the original Awde Street.  Apparently what is now Croatia Street was once Awde (1908) and there is a plaque to prove it.

end of alley, at Awde street, backs of two storey brick single family homes, with garages. snow, some cars,

below: That brownish wall in above picture (where there is now a stack of firewood), was once covered with a painting.  This is it in 2015.

garage door with a picture on it titled Casa Nostra, a picture of a man playing a large guitar and a woman standing beside an outdoor table with food on it.

below: Awde Street, streetview from 2019.

At this point, the lane makes a 90 degree turn towards Dundas – and lo and behold, there is even more artwork to see ( also by Mony Zakhour?)

bright mural in alley

below: On the north side of Dundas West, there is a large mural titled, “Three Sisters” painted by Paula Tikay and Aner Urra.  I discussed it in a blog post from 2019 (Three Sisters, Tikay and Aner)

man in laneway walking past a large mural, Three Sisters,

… and that’s the end of the alley!

Small bit of trivia:  I once found my great-great-grandfather, John Marshall, and his family in a Toronto phone book from about 1910 (I can’t remember the exact year).  They were on Gladstone Ave.  When I went to see if I could find the house, I discovered that the number corresponded with a vacant lot (parking lot?) adjacent to St. Annes church.

Out with the Dragon, In with the Snake

Posted: January 25, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations, stores
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

As Chinese  (or Lunar) New Year approaches, I thought that I would give you a quick tour around Chinatown as it appears in January after a little snow.  Most of the pictures were taken in the vicinity of Spadina and Dundas.   Some shots are ‘iconic’ views, others not so much.

below: This girl has been carrying her soup bowl for many years!  She has appeared on many Instagram pages and on many other sites.  She may even be on your phone.  The “BEST” is a more recent addition!

the word best is written on the sidewalk with an arrow pointing to restaurant with a large statue of a chinese girl dressed all in red holding a large white and red bowl. she is winking

below: Spadina Avenue

chinatown stores, with lots of signs, spadina at glen bailie

bikes chained to fence, in snowy alley, with street art on the wall and an ad too

part of a chinatown mural, elderly person in a blue cap with small child

below: Cute little red stuffed snakes for sale.

little stuffed toy snakes in bright red, for sale at a store in Chinatown

below: Yes, there is a very large black bear that patiently sits beside the door of one of the stores on Spadina.

large sculpture of a black bear sitting outside a chinese store, evening, lights on inside

below:  Looking in the window of a Vietnamese store – boxes of things, band-aids, cotton balls, eye care massagers, and many brands of green tea.

looking through front window of an Asian store, window is full of merchandise

crossing Dundas at traffic lights to northwest corner of Dundas and Huron

below: The east side of Spadina

looking across spadina avenue, trees in median, winter, line of stores on the other side, lights on, late afternoon

below: Yin Yang mural – Yin and Yang, two interconnected forces that are complementary yet opposing.  Together they are dynamic system that is greater than the sum of the two parts.

a yin and yang circle and dots mural in blues and oranges, on a brick wall,

below: On the wall to the left is part of a mural that features the Great Wall of China.

chinatown alley with mural of the great wall of china on one side, back of houses and garages at the end of the alley, snow, winter,

alley scene, back of houses, parking spaces, fence, snow, graffiti

  below: Behind Dundas

man pushing a cart along lane, in snow, with garages on his right, some with street art, utility pole with street light, tall buildings in the distance,

sign on orange wall that says no graffiti please

 

alley in chinatown, winter, snow, one building covered with street art

mural on a building in laneway in chinatown, black man, with pink boxing gloves,

below:  “The Herd-Boy and the Weaver-Girl”, a mural that illustrates a story.  It designed and painted by Allan Bender, John Nobrega, and Stacey Kinderwas  (2017)

outdoor patio, in winter, with snow on tables, beside a large mural, chinatown,

From Mural Routes website: “A very long time ago, when the King of the Sky created the heavens, he decorated it with stars and asked his beautiful daughter to help him by weaving the clouds and mists. It was a long task and when the king noticed his daughter looking tired and drawn, he ordered her to take a break and go out to play among the stars. The princess headed down towards the Milky Way to bathe, whereupon she came across a handsome herd-boy grazing his water buffalo by the banks of the stream. To this day, on the seventh day of the seventh month of every year a great King sends a flock of magpies over the Milky Way to form a bridge to ensure the return of his daughter. The weather must be clear on this evening or the lovers cannot cross the celestial river to meet each other. If it rains the pair must wait another year. On a clear night you can see their two bright stars together in the sky. If it rains it is said that the drops falling to earth are the tears of the Weaver-Girl Princess.”

bench in front of a wall with street art, snow, people passing by on sidewalk beside it

stores and buildings on east side of spadina

merchandise for sale outside a store, red and gold chinese new year items, snow on shelves, winter

front of a store in chinatown, goods on display outside

below: The next two pictures are parts of a mural by June Jieun Kim.

window of a store, with mural on wall below, woman in a pink cap and a scarf around her shoulders

mural of a chinese dragon under windows of a store

delivery truck in alley that dead ends at huron street, orange square house at end of alley

below: Pho Hung, Vietnamese restaurant at Spadina and St. Andrew, northwest corner

large red brick building on northwest corner of spadina and

below: Huron and Grange, southeast corner

block of row houses with stores at ground level, including T and C hair salon, southeast corner of Huron and Grange

below: Bay and gable houses on Huron

upper storey of a row of bay and gable houses on Huron St., one in red, one in pink and a light grey one

below:  Looking south on Huron towards the downtown core

looking south on Huron st., just south of Dundas, towards downtown. winter, snowy. large trees.,

backyards and houses seen from a wintery snowy chinatown laneway

looking down the space between two houses, graffiti on the fence, snow on the ground, multiple exterior staircases

north side of Dundas, chinatown, three buildings including Asian Legends restaurant

outside wall of a restaurant, pictures of menu items on plates, also lights in the shape of a basket of steamed dumplings, a bowl of ramen noodles, and a drink with a straw and a slice of lemon

outside asian store, door open, ceramic pots for sale, clearance sale sign in window

signs in chinatown, on dundas, spa, printers,

canadian flag on sign for canadian souvenir store on spadina

many signs on businesses in chinatown, dundas street

dundas at Jean Lumb Lane, south side, man on sidewalk pushing baby stroller, snow,, winter,

dundas in chinatown, after dark, people on sidewalk, reflections on the wall, pink sign over door that says spa

below: Shopping on Spadina

woman in side store, seen through glass in door

below: Lucky Moose Food Mart after dark

night time, moose market on dundas street, lit inside

below: Summer Sun Spa, and others

below: Yunshang Rice Noodles

night time, yunshang rice noodle restaurant on dundas, with food delivery cyclist outside on bike

below: Happy Lamb Hot Po, Zao bar and grill, and one that I can’t read.

night time, 3 large signs lit, one for happy lamb hot pot and another for zao bar and grill, third is in mandarin language only

below: Spadina and Dundas after dark

night time photo of Spadina and dundas, looking east on Dundas, traffic, pedestrians, lights, signs, snow,

Happy New Year!

First 2025 visit to Graffiti Alley

Posted: January 23, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

My previous post, “skateboard portraits” was from a walk down Graffiti Alley the other day.   This post contains more photos that I took that snowy afternoon… so, let’s take a look!

below: Uber 5000’s yellow bird is still walking his dog and singing a song on this side of this red brick building.  It’s at least 10 years old?  The black and grey portrait on the right is much newer.

Graffiti Alley street art paintings, many, including uber 5000 walking dog and singing,

below: Profile portrait by TheHalfDecent

Graffiti Alley street art painting, profile portrait of woman in black and purple, car parked in front of it

below: “Let them drink beer”, a stencil from D. Terra

below:  A 33wallflower33 pasteup in the foreground, with a corner of one of Nick Sweetman’s bird murals in the background.

pasteup by 33wallflower33, a black and white vintage photo of a woman, cut to oval shape, on a red surface. graffiti alley, a mural by nick sweetman is in the background, a blue bird in flight

below: A collaboration between Nick Sweetman and Shanehuss produced this drippy, melting jaw portrait.

street art mural, calligraphy in grey tones is the background, man's portrait with red skin, purple hat, metal frame glasses, the bottom part of the face is either washing away or melting.

below: The top portion of ” RIP King Reign & Son of Soul” remains.  This tribute mural was painted by Elicser Elliott and Omen514.  I am not sure who is responsible for the newer painting on the bottom, the one in yellows and blues.  That’s probably a ‘signature’ in the bottom left but I don’t recognize it.

Graffiti Alley street art painting, 2 men wearing caps, King Reign and Son of Soul tribute mural, also a uber5000 little yellow bird with a tea cup in his hand

part of King Reign and Son of Soul tribute mural by Elicser Elliott and Omen 514, with newer abstract mural covering the bottom part

below: Graffiti Alley in the snow.

graffiti alley in the snow

below: Sun of Aquarius (aka Andre Mandela Lopez) painted this naked figure with brown wings and bird mask

in an alley, exterior stairs to upper level balcony in alcove with two sides painted with murals, including one by sun of aquarius

below: A pole covered with knit squares while T-bonez is shushing you.

Graffiti Alley street art painting, on wall, pole in front of wall that is covered with knit squares, also a pasteup of urban ninja squadron, t bonez

below: A pointy nosed, long snouted dog by Mr. Myl, aka Luis Casas, who was originally from Havana Cuba.

mr myl street art painting in graffiti alley, on bright pink background, an orange and yellow dog with log snout and orange teeth, small ears, sitting position

below: Another Mr. Myl dog, this one with its blue eyes popping out.   I don’t think that it’s because of the woman next to him.  “Para mi Tita” is Spanish for “For my aunt”.

mr myl street art painting in graffiti alley, on bright pink background, an orange and yellow dog with log snout and orange teeth, small ears, sitting position, beside a portrait of a woman holding a large calla lily, with text

below: Blue haired woman by April Showers

below: And another blue haired woman…..

below: … and a third.  I think that I see a trend.  Methinks April Showers likes blue hair.

grey car parked in parking lot at end of alley, murals painted on the walls, stickers cover the signs

below: An anti-camera, anti-photographer image, “Gimmy a break, clik, clik, clik” featuring uber 5000’s yellow bird and blue cat, with the Pink Panther is a supporting role.   Love the red specs!

street art on a wall by stairs, pink panther, uber 5000 yellow bird, tags, also uber 5000 complaints about photographers

below:  Poser bunny in red

street art, red poser bunny

below: He (she?) seems puzzled by the snow?!

a young person with short dark hair, and a yellow t shirt, mural in graffiti alley

below: Is it a man or is it a chicken?  A red headed cigarette smoking, spray painting character by Tuffytats

street art painting by tuffytats

below: This one looks more like a chicken should look, so fowl.

below: An environmental message – “Got mercury?” from a non-profit group trying to raise awareness of the impact of mercury poisoning on indigenous communities.

graffiti on a wall, yellow bird from uber5000, red and turquoise character with devil horns and furry hair

graffiti alley in the winter, snowing, some snow on the ground

below: Good Luck!

street art painting, green background, a red apple sitting on 2 books, an arrow runs through the apple

graffiti alley mural, guitar player, red guitar, also an elicser elliott piece of a person wearing a rabbit hat

below: Another 33wallflower33 vintage woman.

graffiti on a wall including woman in bikini by 33 wallflower 33.

below: Chubby purple cheeks gives a thumbs up

street art painting of a large purple monster face

below: Still reaching out and trying to touch someone…..

old telephone booth in graffiti alley

street art mural, asian woman with purple hair tied up on top of her head with glowing lantern

graffiti on a wall including a red heart with J + J written in the middle

the waterfalls of Cottage Lane

Posted: September 2, 2024 in alleys, old buildings, public art
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
5

In downtown Toronto there is a large waterfall mural painted on a brick wall  – because of the bricks, the painting looks a bit more like water pouring over a dam.  Still nice; still nature.

mural by b c johnson, a waterfall

Another waterfall – a longer drop of water, this time on a door.  All the murals here were painted by B. C. Johnson.  There are five or six of them on different buildings, some waterfalls, and some landscapes.

in cottage lane, a mural of a waterfall, with greenery beside it, electrical boxes on the green, with wires, and graffiti on the boxes ,

below: Here a  heron stands on a fallen tree beside the water.  A birch trees is also on the shore.  A waterfall is on the other side of the lake.

mural in cottage lane by b c johnson, a heron stands on a fallen log on a rock on shoreline, birch tree nearby, water, and a waterfall in the background

below: This building is overgrown with ivy which adds a nice touch to the scene. The door becomes a very thick tree trunk perched on a rock above the water.

on a wall by a black door, overgrown with ivy, door looks like tree trunk, also mural in cottage lane by b c johnson, a heron stands on a fallen log on a rock on shoreline, birch tree nearby, water, and a waterfall in the background

below: Surprisingly, there is no puddle at the bottom of the steps (insert big smiling emoji here).

porch at back of building, in alley, on building with lots of ivy growing on it, mural of a waterfall

porch at back of building, in alley, on building with lots of ivy growing on it, with another building across the alley with murals of waterfalls and landscapes

below: A real tree once grew here.  I don’t think that it was a beaver that cut it down.

old hollow tree trunk in lane, in front of a landscape mural and wall overgrown with ivy

boarded up window or door, exterior view, from cottage lane, now covered with part of a mural of a landscape by b c johnson

below: Where do you find Cottage Lane?  South of Bloor, west of Yonge, then follow the signs… and the road less traveled.

St. Marys street, restaurants and signs, canadian flag, street sign of cottage lane

I was not sure why it was named Cottage Lane since, to me, there isn’t much that is cottage-y here.  The answer – there are 10 rowhouses on St. Nicholas Street that were built in 1883 and although the architectural style is ‘bay and gable’, they are referred to as the cottages of St. Nicholas Street.  As you may have guesses, St. Nicholas Street backs onto this lane.

below: Looking north towards Bloor.   Buildings that face Yonge Street are on the right and those on St. Nicholas Street are on the left.

cottage lane, looking north towards bloor and new condos, back of buildings,

back of buildings in cottage lane, balconies, green trash bins, tall condos in the background,

cottage lane

purple bike with white seat cover, parked in an alley beside a small sumac tree and an old window with metal bars on it

back of buildings in cottage lane, balconies, exterior stairs, pink wall, green trash bins, car parked, brick buildings,

back of store, commercial building, alley view, door, heating and air conditioning vents, graffiti on wall, blue trash bins

graffiti on a red brick wall, a bright white ghost with red eyes and smiling mouth, yellow pipes and white plastic exhaust pipes from building

exterior brick wall, painted bright red, with many black wires in a bundle crossing it,, white graffiti happy face, other blue graffiti text lil

graffiti on red brick wall, respect dollar sign, free dollars, 2014

square street sign covered with graffiti ticker, all o them are black with gold lettering

Back in 2021, I posted some pictures from Sandown Lane (Cliffside, near Midland and Kingston Road) where there are many more paintings by B. C. Johnson.

Proudly Parkdale

Posted: July 11, 2024 in abstract, construction, graffiti and street art, locations, old buildings, stores, windows and walls
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

… a little bit of Queen Street West

sticker on the window of a restaurant that says proudly parkdale

no parking sign, and parkdale village street sign for Queen st w, on a pole

parkdale architecture, old bay windows, oval glass,

below: These late-19th and early 20th century commercial buildings along Queen Street West with their display windows are part of the Parkdale Village Heritage District.  The 2022 draft plan for this district describes this row as  Edwardian Classicism style.  The plan is more than 160 pages long but in case you are interested in the history (and politics?) of it, here’s the link: Parkdale HDC plan (a pdf )

row of brick apartments and store fronts at ground level.

below: South side of Queen West, looking west from Jameson

queen street west, south side of street, west of jameson, row of three storey brick buildings, stores,

below:  A broom for $8.99.  $7.99 will buy you a pair of crocs or six tall glasses.  Chili sauce, lights shaped like lotus flowers or Buddha, wicker baskets, espresso makers, mixing bowls, and frying pans also available!

looking in a store window with many items on shelves, boxes of things, shoes, crocs, a broom,

below: Lightning alert! It’s a potato, no, it’s a cloud!  Or maybe a lightning bug!  Small metal street art by Rocky Zenyk

small metal street art by rocky zenyk screwed onto a wood utility pole, blue background, orange cloud and 5 streaks of lightning emanating from the cloud

sign in a restaurant window that says we're all in this together

people walking past an empty store front in parkdale

on a corner, TTC streetcar approaches a stop, with TD bank in background and people waiting for the streetcar

orange lilies growing in a planter on the sidewalk on queen west, street car in the background

a young woman and her phone, waiting in a bus shelter in parkdale

below: Where the aliens hang out on a hot July day!

exterior of small building painted made to look like an ice cream store with big window and awning, aliens are buying and eating ice cream, also an alien dog on a leash

below: Scaffolding in front of the church – Epiphany and St. Mark Anglican church.   The octagonal belfry is being repaired and restored with the help of a 2024 Toronto Heritage Grant.  It is considered to be Gothic Revival style.  The cornerstone laid October 1880 and the first service in the church was held in January 1881.  The gateway was added much later.

Church of the epiphany, St. Marks, with scaffolding over the entrance

below: Hope over the entrance to the community garden at Masaryk Park

community garden in a park, with sign made of wood that says hope, over the entrance

below: Arty metal panels line the south wall of Masaryk-Cowan community center.  Bonar-Parkdale Presbyterian Church is in the background.

metal 2 d sculptural shapes on brick wall, exterior, presbyterian church in the background, highrise on the left

below: Notice for redevelopment of Parkdale Library and Masaryk-Cowan community centre site.

blue and white city of toronto development notice for queen west and cowan, redevelopment of parkdale library and masaryk cowan community centre

part of mural celebrating 136 years of sunnyside beach

below: Queen Fresh Market

Queen Fresh Market on Queen West, with fruits and veggies and plants for sale, displayed on sidewalk

below: A unique building topper – North side of Queen, at Dunn.

Queen West, old buildings in Parkdale

below: $25,000 winning ticket sold here! Hopes and aspirations… and Canada Dry.

window of a convenience store in parkdale, atm machine, coke and sprite ads,

below: More details on brick buildings on Queen West.

three storey red brick buildings in parkdale, on queen street west

below: Standing alone

3 storey red brick building in parkdale, standing on its own, now Daol Korean restaurant on the ground floor

people standing on sidewalk waiting for a green light, older brick apartment building behind them

below: Tiny Cafe

tiny cafe, a small yellow building with a red and white sign, large window in front, beside an alley in parkdale

upper part of a house with a large canadian flag as well as some paintings on display

balcony on a high rise apartment building that has a large Canadian flag

below: Murals and street art in an alley.  Butterflies and monochrome daisies

street art mural in a parkdale alley

below: Emily May Rose mural in an alley – women, we come in many shapes and sizes.

street art mural in a parkdale alley

below: Hello Kirsten on the far left

street art mural in a parkdale alley, hello kirsten

below: A mural painted by Chief Ladybird.  Mother and child finding peace in the city.

street art mural in a parkdale alley, seated woman holding baby, by chief ladybird

street art mural in a parkdale alley

mural on a garage door in an alley, curvy line drawings of women faces and heads

street art mural in a parkdale alley

below: Face in the alley

below: And more faces, Picasso like faces and body parts.

mural on brick wall in laneway, parkdale, round characters, faces mostly, in many colours

below: Muisca

street art mural in a parkdale alley

below: Elicser – so many faces merging into one.

street art mural in a parkdale alley, multiple faces in one, by elicser lliott

below: Monica on the moon – “Over the mountains; Under the stars”

street art mural in a parkdale alley, person on a motorcycle with text over the mountains and under the stars

street art mural in a parkdale alley

graffiti on a door in an alley, shape of a large blue bird in profile

below: A few reminders of Parkdale’s grander past on the quieter side streets – lots of old trees and some houses that remain as they once were.

pale yellow brick parkdale house with picket fence, gravel driveway, large front yard, and old garages in the back

maroon brick house with white gingerbread trim, attached to another brick house, orange colour, and beside a larger white brick house

beige brick house with red front door, between two other houses that re obscured by trees and large shrubs

two storey house behind a metal gate

brick house with curved porch with white trim and white railing

brown metal gate in front of a walkway to the front of a house

below: A little bit of religion and a little bit of social justice at the end.

build social housing poster

man in white clothes, standing on sidewalk, by dollarama store

once upon a May morning

Posted: June 1, 2024 in alleys, graffiti and street art, nature
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2

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

Serene update on the floral murals

Posted: May 22, 2024 in graffiti and street art, public art
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
0

….  at Mt Pleasant and Manor Road.

Back in late 2019, before our lives got turned topsy turvy by that virus thing, I posted about new murals on Mt. Pleasant such as this one on the northeast corner of Mt. Pleasant and Manor Road.   Roses on a pale pink background by Alexander Bacon.

piano piano restaurant on northeast corner of manor raod and mount pleasant, painted pale pink, with very large roses, mural by alexander bacon

I recently learned (thanks to Larissa!) that there are now more murals at the same intersection.  Of course I had to check it out!  Both corners on the south side of Manor Road now have floral murals, also painted by Bacon.  The combined mural has the title “Serene Gate”.

below: Southwest corner

flower mural by alexander bacon, on two storey bick building that has a florist on the lower floor as well as a bulk food store. shelves of potted plants on the sidewalk for sale as well

rows of shelves of potted flowering plants for sale in front of a mural of flowers

shelf of potted flowering plants in front of a mural with a pink flower

below: Southeast corner

flower mural by alexander bacon on side of two storey red brick building

flower mural by alexander bacon on side of two storey red brick building

below: More flowers on the lamppost – a vine of morning glories growing skyward.

painting of purple morning glories on a lamp post

banner on a pole, Mount pleasant village, along with pink flowers

 

a man walking a dog on a sidewalk, back to camera, lines of potted flowering plants on both sides of the sidewalk

working on the windows

Posted: May 20, 2024 in graffiti and street art, old buildings, public art
Tags: , , , , ,
0

On the west wall of Revival Nightclub at Shaw and College is a series of paintings by John Nobrega that recall some of the history of the area.

single storey red brick building with arched windows that now have artwork in them, murals by John Norbrega in tribute to the workmen who built some of the infrastructure, such as bridges, in the area

John Nobrega mural, laborers working on a bridge, historic image

John Nobrega mural, laborers working historic images, man walking past on sidewalk, another man working on cable box beside the sidewalk

John Nobrega mural, laborers working on a bridge, historic image

below: The image at the bottom is the bridge over the Garrison Creek at Crawford Street, about 1915.  It has been since covered over (in the northwest part of Trinity Bellwoods Park).

2 paintings on wondow coverings on revival nightclub, red brick building, painted by John Nobrega

below: Trinity Bellwoods Park and wooden bridge in winter

mural, painting of a trinity bellwoods wooden bridge

below: The credits and descriptions:

window in a brick building covered with blue. White text on the blue describing the artwork elsewhere on the building.

“These mural represent our changing city and the structures that once existed in the neighbourhood. It is dedicated to the laborer, many of them immigrants, who helped build Toronto.”
1. Garrison Creek, late 19th century
2. Crawford bridge, under construction, 1915
3. Wooden bridge that stood in Trinity Bellwoods Park
4. Harbord Street Bridge
5. Trinity Bellwoods bridge in Winter
6. Crawford Bridge, on the current site of Metro
John Nobrega, 2021

 

Note: The Harbord Street Bridge mentioned above was also over the Garrison Creek.  It still survives today but only the top part is visible, between Montrose and Grace.  Bickford Park is to the north and Art Eggleton Park is to the south.  Both parks are where the Garrison Creek ran.

Older Entries
Newer Entries