Nick Sweetman | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘Nick Sweetman’

On the Move

Posted: September 1, 2026 in general Toronto
Tags: Adrian Hayes, ambsoul, Andrea Manica, artistic perception, bear, bees, bikes, birds, BJR, Bloor St., Bloor st. west, Bradley J. Reinhardt, bubzart, Bunso, butterflies, Caitlin Taguibao, Chris Perez, Colin Tea, Danilo Deluxo, Drippin' Soul, EGR, faces, flowers, Frannie Potts, getso, GO train, hands, hearts, Isabella Fassler, Jeff Blackburn, Jim Bravo, Just J. Art, Medeio, murals, Muys, Nick Sweetman, Night Owl Drawings, On the Move, Opola Karim, Phillip Saunders, portraits, Rage Williams, railway, Reboser, Rowell Soller, SKAM, StART, Stephanie Avery, streetARToronto, The graffiti studio, timmifuk, underpass, Visible Noise, Waskwane Designs, Wenting Li, WEnting Things

If you walk east on Bloor from Dundas West, you will encounter a railway bridge.

man pulling a suitcase as he walks on the sidewalk on Bloor street, eastbound, with GO train on railway bridge in the distance.

A section of the walls of this underpass have recently been painted by 40+ artists. The south side is now covered in new murals.

cyclists in bike lane on Bloor West, traveling eastbound and about to go under the railway tracks just west of Perth. Street art on the walls of the underpass

This underpass has been painted previously – back in 2015 both the north and south walls were painted in a Wallnoize project (see post from 2015). Some of the same artists appear on this updated version. This time it was StreetARToronto that sponsored the artworks. Let’s take a look at some of the murals (in no particular order)….

below: Stay young! An old man on a bike that he outgrew years ago! by Adrian Hayles

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West painted by Adrian Hayles - an old man in yellow suit and hat, riding a very small yellow, or gold, bicycle

below: Opola Karim painted this Toronto skyline scene, a view that is well known to anyone who has visited the Toronto islands.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West painte by Opola Karim, showing Toronto Harbour and Toronto skyline in a very stylized design, loon in water, beaver on a rock, Canada geese flying overhead

below: Peaceful, loving hands joining together by Phillip Saunders aka Loveishere

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, by Phillip Saunders, a k a Love is here. Four hands in shades of beige and brown, 2 with peace sign, one holding a round object with a red heart on it,

below: Close to the west end of the underpass is this colourful section. The collection of birds on the right side were painted by two artists, Just J. Art (the hummingbird and the hibiscus flower) and Ambsoul Art

two street art murals on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West. On the right side is collection of birds on the right side were painted by two artists Just J. and Ambsoul. BJR painted the let side, first nations symbols and objects like a bear with a fish in its mouth,

below: The left part (of the above image) BJR aka Bradley J. Reinhardt

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, byBJR, or Bradley J. Reinhart, bear with a blue fish in its mouth and a red heart on its side

below: Ambsoul Art’s feathery bird.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, bird head, part of a larger mural, by Ambsoul

below: From under the bridge, glimpses of colour between the steel girders and concrete barricades.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West as seen from across the street metal girders supporting bridge, traffic on the road,

below: Three of the artworks

three street art murals on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West. Artists were Curtia Wright, Phillip Saunders, and Artistic Perception.

below: Curtia Wright – a portrait with yellow flowers

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Curtia Wright, portrait of a brown woman with yellowy brown eyes, yellow flowers on either side of her

below: More women’s faces – some with no mouths? – have they been silenced? By Artistic Perception aka Kanisha

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Artistic Perception. three black women with short curly black hair, clothes in grey shades, with a garland of daisies

below: The Toronto Railpath runs beside these tracks.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West where it joins Wallace street entrance to the Toronto Railpath

below: By Getso – it’s green, it has sharp teeth and a tail, and it can stand on two legs (he’s standing in a boat)….

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Getso, a green crocdile, standing, with tail wrapped around a brown pole, beside water

below: EGR (with the help of some high school students) painted these cool glasses …. and the young woman on the skateboard.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by EGR, woman with sunglasses that reflected Toronto skyline and a person cycling past, red rims and blue glass

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by EGR, a young woman skateboarding

below: Precious cargo in the old milk crate in a mural by Wenting Li aka Wenting Things.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Wenting Li, A cyclist riding a green bicycle past a stylized blue neighborhood skyline, transporting a growing branch with clusters of red fruit in a bright orange milk crate.

below: Another cyclist pedaling along, this time by Isabella Fassler

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West

below: Caitlin Taguibao and Andrea Manica created a mural of people and flowers.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, a mural of people and flowers created by Caitlin Taguibao and Andrea Manica

below: A boy on the water and a blue jay watching him by Bunso, aka Night Owl Drawings

below: Adrian Hayles’ man in yellow again, with a 26 cent stamp by Frannie Potts.

below: A closer look at the bird and flowers on the stamp.

below: Part of the Nick Sweetman mural showcasing fish.

below: Visible Noise, aka Andrew Patterson

below: A pink cat with spots is the result of a collaboration between Muys and Chris Perez. Or is it a leopard?

below: Timmifuk removing not one mask, but two.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Timmifuk, young man with green face is removing two masks, one is blue and the other is a demon red

below: Rowell Soller

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Rowell Soller

below: StephVonAwesome aka Stephanie Avery

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West cartoon llike characters by StephVonAwesome aka Stephanie Avery<

monsters having a tea party, mural by Stephanie Avery, including three eyed orange guy and purple furry guy

murals on wall of Bloor street railway underpass by , Isabella Fassler, Caitlin Taguibao, Andrea Manica, and Stephanie Avery

below: “Water is Life”, Bubzart

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, water is life, pregnant woman

below: A peace dove in a swirl of calligraphy, by Medeio

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West A peace dove with an olive branch in its beak, in a swirl of calligraphy, by Medeio, monotone grey

below: Danilo Deluxo, a woman in an elaborate helmet, futuristic pilot.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, by Danilo Deluxo, a woman in an elaborate helmet, futuristic pilot.

below: Facing each other, Danilo Deluxo and Drippin’ Soul

two street art murals on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, Danilo Deluxo and Drippin' Soul

below: Using shades of black, teal and magenta, Drippin’ Soul has created a very metallic looking profile

below: That’s one creepy red eye! Or is it two red eyes? Ahhhh…. the red eye and brass (bronze?) pieces are part of a mask and the design was apparently “inspired by the taotie motifs of the Shang dynasty” (Quote is from MonkYi’s instagram page). The Shang dynasty dates back to between 1600 BC and 1050 BC; it marked the beginning of the Bronze Age in China. A taotie was a mythological creature that represented greed and gluttony.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Monk Yi, woman wearing a mask that has one red eye

two men walking past street art murals on the wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West

below: Ghazaraza‘s ladies are sharing a pot of tea.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Ghazaraza, two ladies are sharing a pot of tea, seated on the ground facing each other. Pink flowers in the middle

below: Flowers in her hair, flowers everywhere… Oh, I don’t know just why She simply caught my eye…. Or you can all it by its title, “Wildlife in Bloom” by Lula Lumaj.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Lula Lumaj, woman with long dark hair, flowers in her hair, monarch butterfly, bee, other flowers around her

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, a butterfly and a bee by some small pink flowers

below: A cute little grey cat with green eyes.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, a grey cat with green eyes and a little pink nose

three street art murals on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West. an image of a GO rain engine is in the middle

below: GO train – definitely On the Move!

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, image of a GO train engine

below: “The Lookout aka the Fruit Bandits” not letting a fence get in the way! by Jim Bravo

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, by Jim Bravo, a group of children is picking fruit from trees that are on the other side of a fence, title is fruit bandits

below: Mother and daughter watching the traffic in a mural by Colin Tea.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, Mother and daughter watching the traffic in a mural by Colin Tea, girl is called Violet

three muralon a railway underpass, bloor street , street art, urban art,

below: Greetings from West Toronto by Rage WIlliams

Greetings from West Toronto is the text in this white, gold, and pink mural by Rage Williams.

below: Reboser’s athlete – a football player sprinting down the field.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, football players by reboser

below: From the The Graffiti Studio ….

below: Jeff Blackburn‘s young person on the move with drink in one hand and backpack in the other.

below: Two dogs and a stack of old tires, a painting by Megan Oldhues

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, two dogs and a stack of old tires, by Megan Oldhues

below: Hummingbird by an orange flower.

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, hummingbird

below: Three animals by a river from Waskwane Designs – beaver, bear and wolf (with a few bees and butterflies too)

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, by Waskwane Designs, animal, beaver beside a river

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West by Waskwane Designs, bear with a butterfly

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, by Waskwane Designs, animal, wolf in black and white

below: Not for Sale, letters and flowers in a small square of concrete at one end of the wall.

below: A lone pigeon watches me as I pass by.

below: The wall of the underpass peters out by the time Bloor Street reaches Perth.

Link for more information on StART – StreetARToronto

Photos taken August 2026

Dundas East garages

Posted: July 6, 2026 in graffiti and street art
Tags: Adrian Hayles, apples, Bareket, blazeworks, Chrissy Kuiack, dogs, emily may rose, flowers, Golden Butter Murals, hotsnackz, hummingbird, Jarus, Jeff Blackburn, Julia Louise Pereira, Julia Prajka, La Pupila, murals, Nick Sweetman, Phillip Saunders, Que Rock, raccoons, red cardinal, Ryan Dineen, skamoney, streetARToronto, timmifuk, trash pandas, Vudu, Wade Benedict

All of the pictures in this post were taken on Dundas East, just west of Jones Avenue. Along this stretch of Dundas, garages and backyard fences line the street. Most of them have been painted with bright and cheerful images of flowers, birds, animals, and other living things.

below: There is only one person who would paint a mural with these cute but mischievous raccoons, Emily May Rose

below: Sadly, unsigned and unknown. Two snakes slithering through pink flowers and green grass.

below: La Pupila (aka Valentina) has painted rosy red apples with faces, and even a bite taken out of one of them.

below: Two dog portraits by Jeff Blackburn

below: Red hearts and laughter in a mural by Phillip Saunders

below: A young child with bond curly hair holds a very large pink flower in a painting by Wade Benedict.

below: Picking oranges and watering flowers, working together in the garden in a mural by Golden Butter Murals

below: Making hearts. Long necked ducks or geese beak to beak.

below: White flowers by timmifuk

below: More garage door flowers – this time pink peonies in a vase.

below: Orange lilies by hotsnackz (aka Chrissy Kuiack)

below: Black on colour.

below: Ryan Dineen painted this little bird

below: A young looking loon swims as the sun sets in a mural by Julia Prajka

below: Two red cardinals in flight by Adrian Hayles.

below: A ruby throated hummingbird flies among the fireflies, by Blazeworks.

below: Close up of an abstract mural by Bareket (bkez)

below: Que Rock, butterfly

below: “I’ll be here until you arrive”, a portrait of an older man with a beard, in shades of red, by Jarus

below: Nick Sweetman – a pelican and a flamingo splashing in the water

below: On the right, covering two garage doors, is an aquatic scene by Jarus.

below: This spider painting is signed “Vudu” (Christine Mazzulla?)

below: Another bird flying over a garden full of flowers on a fence painted by Julia Louise Pereira (aka ohlordyitsjulia)

below: A very Toronto sight, by Skamoney

This was a StreetARToronto project

Photos taken June 2026

intersections – Bathurst and Wilson

Posted: June 23, 2026 in construction, history, locations, stores
Tags: 401 hwy, architecture, bathurst st., commercial, ensaymada, filipino, housing, Ian Leventhal, murals, Nick Sweetman, redevelopment, residential, signs, sixplexes, stores, vacant, Wilson Ave.

A look at another intersection (and its surroundings)…….

below: Swimming by the 401 highway – You might recognize this image as Georges Pierre Seurat’s 1884 pointillism painting, “Bathers at Asnières”. Man in hat lying with his dog, sailboats in the distance, people sitting on the shore and people playing in the water – these are all elements in that famous Seurat painting.

It appears as part of a large mural that Ian Leventhal painted in 2006; it covers the wall that helps support the 401 as it cuts across the Bathurst and Wilson intersection. The large triangle created by this wall and the two streets is a park with the very unimaginative name of Bathurst-Wilson Parkette.

below: Looking east on Wilson at Bathurst.

below: Both Bathurst and Wilson pre-date the building of the 401 highway. This old photo (1950) is taken from an excellent article in the Toronto Star written by Shawn Micallef, (28 Sept 2019) that details the history of the 401 highway development around Bathurst Street. The brown lines show the original layout of the highway and the on/off ramps. Not all of these ramps exist now. I have added a bright red line to show the present day on-ramp from Bathurst (northbound) to the EB 401. You may have noticed that the original on and off ramps were residential streets!

But changes are always happening. Now it is the southwest corner of Bathurst and Wilson that is about to be transformed…. or at least it was. At the moment the property is under court ordered receivership as the developer is having “financial issues” to the tune of at least 28 million dollars. The property is for sale. Tims is open but everything around it is vacant. Condo development was booming in Toronto until it wasn’t. I don’t have an exact number, but there are a lot of vacant/abandoned properties like this around the city.

below: Brooklyn Furniture Emporium – boarded up and forgotten. They started business in 1958 and survived for more than 60 years.

below: Gone is the gas station that was here.

below: Looking north up Bathurst.

The development property that is on the market also includes a couple of addresses on the next street west, Richelieu Road whose properties back onto Bathurst.

below: Another proposal includes the remaining houses on Richelieu (across the street from those backing onto Bathurst). I am unsure of its status, but it makes for a rather sad looking little street.

below: This area was originally developed at a time when the 2 storey brick mini plaza (or strip mall) was popular. A line of stores/restaurants/businesses with some parking in front became a feature of large segments of Toronto’s main streets. Will we mourn their loss once it is their turn to be replaced? They may be ugly but they provide a space for local businesses.

below: Bathurst and Wilson has become predominantly Filipino. This place specializes in ensaynadas which is something that I had never heard of. It’s a Filipino bun with different flavorings/toppings such as cheese, or almond (or many others). Filipino, but from Mallorca (Spain) too … and possibly with a Jewish origin.

below: Beaver Cleaners – where to go when the beaver needs a good scrub. More importantly, just beyond it is The Inside Scoop which sells fabulous ice cream!

below: You can also find a mural by Nick Sweetman nearby. It lines both sides of the Bathurst underpass at the 401. I have blogged about it previously – in fact, it was the previous post: Animals under the 401

below: A banner to advertise a production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in Yiddish with English subtitles that was playing at the Elgin Theatre (downtown).

animals under the 401

Posted: June 15, 2026 in graffiti and street art
Tags: animals, Bathurst Street, bats, bears, birds, cat, cows, fox, frog, lizard, mural, Nick Sweetman

There are two large murals by Nick Sweetman that cover both sides of Bathurst street as it passes under the 401 highway. The murals are a collection of animals – birds, frogs, cows, cats, foxes, bats, tigers, and more. This blogpost is a selection of images from those two walls.

from Dupont to St. Clair West

Posted: November 12, 2025 in construction, graffiti and street art, locations, public art, stores, transportation
Tags: Bareket, birds, bkez, Catherine Cachia, decorations, Dupont, Dupont subway station, Elicser Elliott, halloween, James Sutherland, Julia Prajza, murals, Nick Sweetman, pumpkins, signs, Spadina, stores, Troy Lovegates

Enter if you Dare!

A late October walk on a sunny day – starting at Dupont station which is just north of Bloor on Line 1 (That’s the University side of the Yonge-University Line for those of you who, like me, haven’t mastered the TTC numbering system yet!). We walked a few blocks on Dupont before going under the railway tracks to Bridgman, then took a quick turn on Albany to get to Davenport. A short block later we were on Bathurst. Vaughan Road veers left off Bathurst just south of Bloor. We meandered a bit north of Bloor before walking back to St. Clair West station.

below: A bright and sparkly flower blooms on the southbound platform of Dupont subway station. This is one of the mosaics designed by James Sutherland in the series “Spadina Summer Under all Seasons” found around the station.

below: More Dupont station flowers to greet subway travelers, this time on the concourse level.

below: Taking the escalator up inside the dome at street level.

below: There is a Nick Sweetman mural of birds that wraps around the curve of a bench.

below: The curve matches that of the domed entrance to the station on the southeast corner of Dupont and Spadina.

below: Casa Loma in the distance, on the hill beyond the tracks. This is the view on Spadina north of Dupont.

below: Northeast corner of Dupont and Spadina

below: Big rounded arches, rooftop terraces in the back, and two turrets, all at the corner of St. George Street and Dupont.

below: Looking north on St. George, towards Dupont, 1904. Working on the street. The house with the two turrets is already there. The duplex on Dupont at the top of the street still exists too.

below: The duplex (176-178 Dupont) is difficult to see because like so many other older residences on main streets, an addition has been added to the front to facilitate a store or a restaurant. At the moment, 176 Dupont is a Mexican restaurant, even though the says Pastrami (close enough!).

below: Bruno Men’s Hairsylist and his quaint little sign.

below: On Dupont, east of Spadina is this mural by Catherine Cachia

below: Cozy and euphoric.

below: Bete Suk, Ethiopian Coffee shop

below: Northwest corner of Dupont and Spadina, and another domed subway entrance.

below: Looking west on Dupont

below: Another, much clearer, example of the transition of houses to businesses by building additions in front, are these two – Krispy Kreme and the faded Modern Laundry & Dry Cleaners.

below: West of Dupont, there are still some garages covered in street art.

below: This is 390 Dupont Street, part of which is now a coffee shop/vintage clothing store. I am not sure what the history of the building is but when I tried to research it, I discovered that there is a condo development being proposed for the site.

below: This is the neighbouring property, 388 Dupont. Two years ago when I walked this stretch, there was a blue and white development notice sign in front of the building (Dupont Street Scenes). When the application for redevelopment was first filed (2020), it was for an 11 storey building involving 374 to 388 Dupont. By 2023 the plan had evolved to 12 storeys and now included 390 Dupont as well. Because the site is adjacent to the CP Railway corridor, a train safety derailment wall along the entire back wall is part of the plan.

below: Although there is no posted notice of planning applications for this building, it appears to be empty. The front door is boarded up and there is a No Trespassing sign in the window.

below: Two years ago this building was in the early stages of construction.

below: Another theme that occurs over and over again on the streets of Toronto – the jumble of different eras. Very old brick houses and new glass and steel towers mixed together along with ages in between. The smaller older structures dwarfed by the newer ones that tower over them.

below: The Troy Lovegates mural of 10 faces on Howland & Dupont is still there and still looking vibrant. If you are interested, there are more images of this mural elsewhere in this blog.

below: Running parallel to the railway tracks, and just north of them.

below: The north side of the CP Railway corridor shows signs of its more industrial past. This building with its curved glass sidelights and other small Art Deco finishes, sits empty. Previously it was home to a plumbing company but they have moved to new quarters elsewhere in the city.

below: Tarragon Village mural by Elicser Elliott

below: There is also this mural, just around the corner on Albany, “You are not alone”. It was painted by Julia Prajza and Bareket (bkez). ‘You Are Not Alone Murals’ is a public mural project with over 100 murals completed. Their goal is to “inspire artists to create murals in their communities–sparking hope, connection, and conversations about mental health.” (quote taken from their website, youarenotalonemurals.com).

mural on the front of a building, wrapped around the front door, in cursive, text says You are not alone

below: An intriguing series of photos in the windows… but I couldn’t get a closer look at them.

below: A large red heart and an even larger blue spruce tree.

;

below: The paintings along the concrete wall on the west side of Bathurst have all been defaced.

below: Another touch of Art Deco in the neighbourhood

below: Bathurst Street houses

below: Playing in the playground

below: Store fronts on Bathurst

below: Looking north up Bathurst where Vaughan Road exits left. Vaughan Road was built in the 1920’s along an older trail that follows a now underground creek. From here, it runs more or less diagonally north and west to its northern end at Dufferin and Eglinton.

below: Choice laundry in the old brick building, on Vaughan Road.

below: Also on Vaughan Road, Zoomiez Doggie Daycare and Vaughan Road Pharmacy.

below: We met a couple of strangers. They weren’t very talkative though so we kept walking….

below: The gateposts on Strathearn Road mark the entrance to the former village of Forest Hill. Forest Hill was incorporated as a village in 1923 and then annexed by the City of Toronto in 1967.

below: There is a metal plaque at each end of the Glen Cedar pedestrian bridge over the Cedarvale Ravine. This is the one at the south end. The text is taken from the lyrics of “Anthem”, a song by Leonard Cohen. The first bridge here was built by Henry Pellatt (the same man responsible for Casa Loma) in 1912. It became a pedestrian bridge when it was modernized in 1989.

brass plaque embedded in the concrete of a bridge railing

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your prefect offering.
There is a crack,
a crack in everything
it’s how the light get’s in
[and yes, the plaque has an apostrophe in gets]

glen cedar pedestrian bridge in late october when the trees were in their autumn foilage

below: Home is where our story begins.

below: At Bathurst and St. Clair – Da Best Pilipino Bakery and Deli

below: Waiting to cross Bathurst Street

below: Looking east on the north side of St. Clair, from Bathurst. St. Clair West subway station is just a few meters away.

below: There was once a gas station on the northeast corner of Bathurst and St. Clair West. Now it is a vacant lot with a few alien creatures like this one lurking about.

below: Happy Hallowe’en pumpkins! The frog’s not so certain though.

With thanks to Nancy who walked with me that day.

back to Ossington

Posted: May 8, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: alleys, backyards, Basquiat, bikes, Christina Mazzulla, D.Terra stencils, emily may rose, graffiti, houses, Jimmy Chiale, lanes, murals, Nick Sweetman, Ossington, pangeaseed, raccoon, residential, Rowell Soller, stencils, stores, trash panda, turtles, uber 5000, urban ninja squadron, visual noise

Ossington Avenue is an interesting street to walk with it’s numerous stores, restaurants and coffee shops. But there is another fascinating world hiding behind the main street in the numerous lanes and alleys in the area. A few weeks ago I presented some images from these alleys (Behind Ossington, 15 April), but I barely scratched the surface of what is there.

For this blog post, I have assembled more of the photographs that I have taken around Ossington since January of this year. It gets a bit long because I decided not to chop it into smaller pieces, so grab a seat and let’s get started!

below: A whimsical Uber5000 painting on a garage door.

below: Hearts on fire, burning love, and the fireman that is trying to extinguish the flames – in a mural created by D. Terra Stencils.

below: One of the cutest raccoons that I have ever seen, also painted by D.Terra Stencils.

below: Some more cute raccoons of a different sort go camping in a mural by Emily May Rose

below: … and some more raccoons!

below: …. and even more!

below: Smaller black stencil graffiti on a white garage door – an iconic image of Marilyn Monroe as well as a Kung fu Panda. The other woman gets a splash of bright red.

below: A trumpet player and a gun fight.

below: Bikes on the stairs with a colourful bird keeping a watchful eye.

below: A tribute mural celebrating Canadian Black designers.

below: An old square brick building, garages and fences with graffiti, old trees, and a row of houses at the end of the lane – this captures the look of a typical Toronto lane.

below: Home patio, outdoor living urban style.

below: “Stop and enjoy”. I like how the poster below the stop sign says “mediocrity” which makes the overall message, “Stop and enjoy mediocrity”. A bit snarky.

below: The tail end of a fishy mural.

below: This aquatic themed mural dates from 2016 when a group of artists painted many murals in the area, all with the Great Lakes as their theme. They were part of Pangeaseed Foundation’s Seawalls for Oceans project. Some artworks have survived better than others. Love letters in paint is a post from 2016 that show most of them in their original form.

below: The Swiss army knife was also a Pangeaseed mural

below: Where possible, Jimmy’s Coffee shops have exterior walls painted with images of famous Jimmys including the one on Ossington. Jimmy Carter, James Dean, the guitar of Jimmy Hendrix and two muppets representing Jim Henson Gonzo and Elmo

below: A Jimmy of a different kind, a fantastic cacaphony of colours and shapes in a mural by Jimmy Chiale

below: Close up of part of a mural, a young man wearing a black mask over his eyes.

below: Rowell Soller

below: Two paintings on two different garages that look like they were done by the same artist. The signature appears to be Soul R. and the top painting is from 2017.

below: 2022 Christina Mazzulla, for the Golden Turtle Restaurant.

below: “You are stroger than you think”

below: Nick Sweetman has used shades of blue and purple to create this wonderful northern scene with a bear and moose combo.

below: Totally blue. The other colours have faded? Or were never there in the first place?

below: More garage doors painted by D.Terra Stencils

below: On a bright yellow background, an image of Jean Michel Basquiat, one of the original creators present-day street art.

below: .. and beside Basquiat, a levitating woman

below: Written in Portuguese is “Nem às paredes confesso” which translates to “I don’t even confess to the walls”.

below: Portuguese words, and nearby a Portuguese flag

below: Boxers – Muhammad Ali and an opponent

below: The last D. Terra Stencils is this rendition of Ren and Stimpy

below: The next four images are of the same mural in a snowy laneway parking lot… starting with DAM DOG ketchup bottle

below: Parking for Animals

below: These little ceramic animals have been walking in this alley for at least ten years.

below: T-bonez stands alone, maybe waiting for the light to turn green?

below: And what’s this? Even more raccoons?! Toronto’s “beloved” trash pandas are everywhere!

First 2025 visit to Graffiti Alley

Posted: January 23, 2025 in alleys, graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: 33wallflower33, Andre Mandela Lopez, April Showers, chickens, D. Terra, Doug Ford, Elicser, Elicser Elliott, got mercury, graffiti, Mr MYL, murals, Nick Sweetman, omen514, paint, poser, rabbit, Shanehuss, slaps, spray paint, stencils, street art, Sun of Aquarius, the half decent, uber5000, urban ninja squadron, visual noise, yellow birdie

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.

below: Profile portrait by TheHalfDecent

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.

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

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.

below: Graffiti Alley in the snow.

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

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

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

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”.

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.

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!

below: Poser bunny in red

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

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

below: Good Luck!

below: Another 33wallflower33 vintage woman.

below: Chubby purple cheeks gives a thumbs up

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

an evening out

Posted: August 18, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, people, stores, transportation
Tags: College St., couples, Dundas, graffiti, Jarus, Kensington, Kleeshay, motorcycles, mural, Nazare Snack Bar, Nick Sweetman, Ossington, people, posters, reflections, roam_t.o, Sankofa Square, tensoe2, tomatoes

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.

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.

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

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

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.

below: August is tomato season in Ontario!

below:Buddha prays (meditates?)

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

below: Shadow play on a Kensington graffiti wall.

below: Laundry time

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

below: Lord of the Fries!

below: A creative use of a few chairs.

below: Mural by roam_t.o

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

below: Nazare Snack Bar

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

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

below: Don’t text me!

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

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”

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 “

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. “

below: Turtle Island, bald eagle

below: Locked up; behind bars

below: “Respect the Space”, an urban collage on a door in Keningston. “Baby’s first pistol” – yikes!

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?

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…..

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!!

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

Along the Riverbank

Posted: January 25, 2024 in general Toronto
Tags: Along the River Bank, beaver, bullrushes, catfih, coyote, damselfly, DOn River, egret, fox, frog, Luv, mink, Moises Frank, mural, Nick Sweetman, painted turtle, rabbit, raccoon, tensoe2, toad, white-tailed deer

There is a new mural (2022) in Toronto by Nick Sweetman featuring animals and plant life commonly found along Ontario’s rivers, especially the Don River that flows nearby. It adorns a wall/fence that runs the length of a new park, Riverside Square, which is southeast of Queen and the Don Valley Parkway.

below: The east end of the mural

part of mural by Nick Sweetman, Along the Riverbank

below: A blue-fronted dancer damselfly (A very long name for a very small creature!)

below: Mink, toad, and a water insect called a water strider.

below: Catfish

below: A raccoon eyes the fish swimming past

below: A happy dog among friends, a raccoon and a cotton tail rabbit. If you look closely, there is a bridge in the background by the fox – Torontonians might recognize this bridge as one of the many that cross the Don River.

below: Red fox, coyote

below: In the middle

below: Egret diving for fish

below: White-tailed Deer

below: North American beaver

below: Painted turtle

below: Northern Leopard Frog

Tensoe2 and Moises (Luvs) also contributed to ‘Along the Riverbank’

This post also appears in Eyes on the Streets

from Harbord to Dundas via Kensington

Posted: January 18, 2024 in alleys, doors, graffiti and street art, locations, reflections, stores
Tags: anorthosite, Baldwin Ave., crab, Dick Dastardly, gates, graffiti, hoardings, houses, Kensington, Lord Lansdowne school, mannequins, Muttley, Nick Sweetman, redevelopment, rock, Rocky Zenyk, Sasha Q, Saul Gwartzman, Spadina, streetcar, TTC, When Math Meets Art

…. 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.

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.

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.

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

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,

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

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

below: Intersection of Spadina and College, looking south.

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.

below: Canadian souvenirs are unavailable at the moment!

below: Dragons on the wall, Oxford Street.

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.

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.

below: 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.

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

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

below: Mural of a blue crab by Nick Sweetman,

below: Look Mom Paint!

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

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

below: “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.

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

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

below: Not so yummy?!

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!

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

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

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

below: It’s Dick Dastardly and his dog Muttley

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

below: Leftovers from both Halloween and Christmas

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

below: Fight Your Demons

below: South on Spadina

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!

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!

as I walk Toronto

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