Posts Tagged ‘portraits’

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
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

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

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

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

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

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

below: Part of the Nick Sweetman mural showcasing fish.

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

below: Visible Noise, aka Andrew Patterson

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

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

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

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

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

street art mural on wall of railway underpass on Bloor street West, by Drippin Soul, woman's portrait in profile in shades of black, teal and magenta

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

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

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

below: From the The Graffiti Studio ….

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

pigeon sitting under a bridge, up high

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

 

circular, concentric, calligraphy, stylized, street art painting with a profile of a person with eyes closed

This blog post is a quick look some of the “art” that can be seen in Graffiti Alley at the moment. There is lot on display even though I only walked between Spadina and Portland so this post focuses on the murals and larger paintings that I saw. The smaller stickers and paste ups will be in a subsequent post (sooner rather than later I hope!).

below: Blue birds and big ugly black dogs.

two murals, street art painting, graffiti alley, blue bird with open wins, but feet on pine branch, in background is a squat heavy set black and white dog mural

below: A portrait of Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine’s blue and yellow colours.

portrait of zelensky, ukrainian leader president, in blue and yellow, street art mural

below: Daisy, in rabbit ears

word daisy written on arm of girl in street art painting, graffiti alley, she has black rabbit ears

below: On one of the corners, there is a long grey mural with bits of red….

below: “A lone samurai known as Ghost stands on watch”.   A story and a mural by Dewucme

below: Portraits painted on skateboards – there has been a collection of such portraits hanging here for at least a year.  I am not sure if these three are newer, or if I just forgot them last time.  (Link to blog post of skateboards from 2025).  I have updated the 2025 post to include a few photos that I took last week of other skateboard portraits that I didn’t see a year ago.

graffiti alley, portraits on broken skateboard,

below:  Portrait by Bunso

black and white portrait, street art mural, graffiti alley, man in white t shirt and black cap, smiling,

below:  Other part of the above mural, but painted by a different artist (I think)

black and white portrait of a man

below: In memory of Andre Campbell

blue trash bins and black garbage bags piled in front of street art mural, black and white portrait of a man with short dark hair and glasses, with text that says in memory of Andre Campbell

below:  Behind the Queen Street stores

parking areas and back yards of stores on Queen street, graffiti alley view, three storeys, with balconies across the back street art and graffiti on fences

below: Painting on hoardings as downtown redevelopment (and subway construction) slowly encroaches on the Queen and Spadina neighbourhood.

tiger and dragon street art mural on hoardings in an alley in Toronto

below: “Find peace in your chaos” Plus, it seems to be wearing shirt and tie but it’s also drooling and looking just a little unhinged!

words on sidewalk that say find peace in your chaos, below a painting of a pink monster head with white eyes and big white teeth

squished face, monstrous, big eyes with orange pupils, big white teeth with gums bleeding above one tooth

monster faces, graffiti alley, street art, with snowman underneath

below: Monstrous television screen head with bloody gums and matching tie.

monster faces, graffiti alley, street art, big teeth, with a head shaped like a television screen

tree in front, looking across alley to side of building, completely covered in street art painting, graffiti alley

street art painting, graffiti alley, purple face, blue hands with thumbs up

street art painting, graffiti alley

below: “Who you gonna call?”  Ghostbusters green slimey thing!

street art mural in graffiti alley with green slime creature from Ghostbusters movie in center

below: He’s got one big eye and a scowl on his face.  There’s a burning cigarette in his mouth and the Ace of hearts is tucked into his hat band.  Quite the character.

two garage door murals in graffiti alley

below:  Not all cats are cute?

ugly cat, yellow, with bulging green eyes, street art mural, with two monkey faces, graffiti alley

below:  A woman with her purple hair tied up with little glowing (but ghostly) lanterns in a mural by MonkYi

street art painting by Monk Yi, woman holding a blue fan, with her hair tied up and two little lanterns in her hair, big gold ear rings.

street art painting, graffiti alley, large red and yellow daisy by catchoo, wad of money bills with arms and legs and a face too

street art painting, graffiti alley, on a door, woman with black hair, red lips, and red clothing that looks a lit like flames, red hot

street art painting, graffiti alley, pink tiger, with pink hearts

below: Climbing green onions (scallions?)?  An upside down blue goose?  … And in the middle, yellow siu mai (Chinese open-topped steamed dumplings, a dim sum favorite), all images from the imagination of Mixt Paints aka Kelcy Timmins Chan

purple naked person climbing a bunch of green onions a light blue duck with yellow beak that is diving downwards, street art painting by mixt paintz

below: There’s that snowman again, but on a different wall and surrounded by graffiti

a little white snowman with carrot nose and black buttons, street art painting on a wall covered with graffiti, graffiti alley

below: Ninos Libres, by Kalaruno

street art portrait of a child by Kalaruno, ninos libres

below:  Another Kalaruno painting

lumber and trash in front of a mural in graffiti alley, grey squarish character with human face by Kalaruno

below: At least it’s a step up from tagging…..

red, black, and white mural in graffiti alley

below: A green finger on the trigger.

side by side, two smaller street art painting, graffiti alley, on left is green hand and pink spray paint can while on right is a stupid round face with big oval teeth

behind store, graffiti alley view, pile of empty boxes and trash at bottom of stairs, with doors with street art in orange and blue

graffiti and street art under stairs, green turtle, mushrooms

below: Blue.  And strange looking.  He’s hanging out in the doorway.

street art painting, graffiti alley, in doorway, blue faced weird looking man

below: An introspective dragon

a street art painting of a greenish grey dragon with the word introspection in orange across its body

 

street art in graffiti alley

below: And last, many thanks to the usual Wednesday Gang!

people walking down a wet alley, puddles and reflections on the pavement, of the street art and graffiti on the surrounding walls

 

… and a few things more from TMU Image Centre exhibits.

First, the main gallery of the Image Centre is showing a collection of the work of Clara Gutsche, winner of the 2024 ScotiabankCONTACT Photography award.  One of her series features photos of Quebec nuns, “The Convent Series”, taken before 1999.   Hence “nuns” in my title –   The “weddings” in the title comes from another exhibit here – a collection of portraits of brides and grooms over the years.

a woman looks at framed photographs on a gallery wall, TMU Image Centre gallery, Clara Gutsche show

black and white photo from convent series by clara gutsche, nun with painting, on display at TMU Image Centre

framed black and white photo from convent series by clara gutsche, nuns in black and white habits lined up in a hallway

framed black and white photo from convent series by clara gutsche, nuns outside hitting tennis balls with tennis racquets, against a wall

framed colour photo from convent series by clara gutsche, nuns in red playing croquet outside

There are other series of her work also on view including some taken inside a Catholic high school.

4 framedcolour photos on a gallery wall, all are interior shots of a catholic high school

girls sitting at desks in a school by clara gutsche

This is only a small sample of Gutsche’s work.  You can see more at the Image Centre until 2nd August 2025 – The originals look better than my copies!!

 

Let’s move on to the happy couples….

“Something Old; Something New – The Wedding Photography Collection of Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash” is  the full title of the exhibit.  The title says it all.  The exhibit gives a glimpse into the history of photography and the techniques used to produce images.  It also takes a look at a sliver of social history… especially with respect to clothing styles.  All the photos were donated to the Image Centre by Bulger and Lash in 2023.

photo of a wedding party, from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

photo by Karl Speiss, 1855, black and white, of a bride and groom, from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

portrait of bride and groom in a fancy oval frame, from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

bride and groom portrait, old, on red carpet, man with top hat,

on a gallery wall, image of bride and groom, from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

bride and groom, bride with head covering typical of roaring 20's

below: “Meilleurs Vaux pour votre Bonheur”, 5th of Jan, 1910

French postcard made with image of bride and groom portrait, Meilleurs Vaux pour votre Bonhour, 1910, with green 5 cent stamp

from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre

from Something Old Something New, a collection of wedding photos over the years, collected by Stephen Bulger and Catherine Lash, and then donated to the TMU Image Centre. Groom in a top hat, bride in a white coat with many small buttons, and a high collar

Unfortunately the exhibit has ended.

 

Back in 2012, the city approved the naming of an alley… Dew Lang Lane.  You can find this lane just north of the Danforth near Donlands.  Prior to the legal change,  “Dew Lang” had been used as the unofficial name by local residents.  The name comes from parts of the two streets Dewhurst (Dew) and Langford (Lang) that the lane runs between.

a man walks through an alley, and parking lot

below: Omen514’s fist bump

mural of a fist bump on a garage, with a basketball hoop above it, alley,

below: “Turn the lights off and look to the sky”  by Jerry Rugg (aka Birdo) & Wales.

mural in alley,woman wearing sunglasses, text that says

alley scene, 2 murals, a wood fence, and the back of a brick house

below: Spud1 left his mark here along with the advice, “Live, Love, Paint”.

spud mural on a garage in an alley, with text, live, love, paint,

below: Signs of spring that can’t be held back

lilac bush over the top of a wood fence in a lane, full of pink blossoms, peak bloom

ivy covered pole and wires, no parking sign partially covered with vines too

truck parked in a lane, unloading from the back, lane has very tall tree, some fences and garages too,

below: In a very tight spot but bursting out.

a mature tree with large tree trunk wedged between the sides of two garages

below:  One of the latest trends in urban living is the laneway house.   They are popping up all over the place and this area is no exception.

black box shaped house, new infill housing in an alley

below: Another trend, this one in home renovations, is building upwards.  Adding a third floor or a rooftop deck is now common (and is often more noticeable from the back).

newly renovated house as seen from the alley behind, big new windows, and a new upper level

below: The repurposing of church buildings is another trend (albeit a bit older than the above two).  In this case, Temple Baptist Church, opened 1925, is now residential.   A small plaque in one corner of the building serves as a reminder of its original function.  From the application for heritage status for the building:  “Temple Baptist Church is a fine example of a revival of the Georgian Classical Style adapted for Post-Reformation churches in 18th century England.”  Not many Toronto churches were built in this style.

Temple Baptist Church, now condos

below: The central window with its leaded coloured glass and Credit Valley stone trim around the windows.

central window, with leaded coloured glass, of the old Temple Baptist Church, now condos, brick building from 1925.

old brick wall in alley, covered with graffiti in bright colours, yellow, blue and green

mural of a man bending down, lower part has been covered with a tag
two garage doors with urban art, on right is a strange looking woman with her tongue partially stuck out
mural in an alley, girl with pearl necklace and white wings

below: A beckoning summer scene, Muskoka chairs on the dock.  Have a seat and watch the sunlight play on the water.

mural of two muskoka chairs on a dock by the lake

below: Old black line drawings on old white garage.

black line drawings on old white garage
close up of black line drawing graffiti on white garage, with green vine growing over it

looking through chainlink fence to vacant lot with remains of construction site on it

looking through chainlink fence to construction site with wheelbarrow as well as black and orange cones, orange plastic rolled up

below: The new west entrance to Donlands subway station opens onto Dewhurst.

entrance to Donlands subway station, low brown building with glass front and sides

below: Inside

interior of new west entrance to Donlands subway station, white walls, wood accents, a window

interior of new west entrance to Donlands station, from landing in stairwell between street level and subway level, two women walking

sticker graffiti on a pole, a faded blue robot and a pink pigeon head

below: A second pigeon…. this one wear a cheerful bright red cap as he struts around

sticker graffiti on rusted metal, a pigeon wearing a bright red cap, standing,

stylized orange flower petals on a red wall, mural, around a window,

This past week there was an exhibit at Gallery 1313 that paid tribute to Murray McKay.  Murray started modeling for college level life drawing classes in the 1990s.  Between then and his passing in 2024, he had a large impact on Toronto’s art community.  More than forty artists contributed their drawings or paintings of Murray to the exhibit which was simply titled “Murray”.

three brightly coloured paintings, on gallery wall, gallery 1313, all three are portraits

Gallery 1313 Murray McKay tribute exhibition

Gallery 1313 Murray McKay tribute exhibition

Gallery 1313 Murray McKay tribute exhibition

Gallery 1313 Murray McKay tribute exhibition

Gallery 1313 Murray McKay tribute exhibition

Gallery 1313 Murray McKay tribute exhibition

Gallery 1313 Murray McKay tribute exhibition

Gallery 1313 Murray McKay tribute exhibition

Gallery 1313 Murray McKay tribute exhibition

This exhibit was only on between 5th and 16th March (now ended)

  “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” is now showing at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO).  It features 90 works by more than 60 artists.  Some of them are shown here…. 

below: Portrait of a day when 103 of members of the Toronto Hip Hop community got together in one place, August 2024.  The photo was taken on the steps of the Liberty Grand at Exhibition Place by photographer Patrick Nichols.

black and white group shot of a lot of people on outdoor steps, 103 people associated with hip hop in toronto, on the steps of the Liberty Grand Entertainment place

This exhibit has also been seen in Baltimore and St. Louis.

“Placing fashion, consumer marketing, music, videos and objects in dialogue with paintings, sculpture, poetry, photography and multi-media installations, the exhibition considers activism and racial identity, notions of bling and swagger, as well as gender, sexuality and feminism.”

a woman looking at pictures at the Art Gallery of Ontario

below: Painting by Zeh Palito,a Brazilian artist who seems to like pink.  Title: “It was all a Dream”.

 painting by Zeh Palito in Art Gallery, black woman,

below: Cardi B., aka Belcalis Marlenis Cephus, with unity on her arm by Hassan Hajjaj.  She is considered one of contemporary music’s top female artists.

portrait of Cardi B by Hassan Hajjaj

below: “Live Culture Force 1’s”, 2022, by Aaron Fowler. They are gigantic Nike Air Force 1 sneakers that have been made out of car parts.  Contemporary art seems to like big things – Once upon a time back in 1960s there was a giant hamburger on display at the AGO.  I wonder if the creator of that hamburger, Claes Oldenburg,  realized what he started (and whatever happened to it anyhow?).  Tangent alert – The AGO purchased the hamburger in 1967 for $2000.

sculpture that is a large pair of white running shoes made of car parts.

below: “Swamp Boy” by Amani Lewis

painting on a gallery wall by Amani Lewis

below: “Real Negus Don’t Die” by Fahamu Pecou.  Reflects on the idea that death can’t stop us and perhaps touches on  the idea that immortality comes through remembrance.

artwork in graphite and acrylic paint of a man with a t-shirt with portrait of a black man and text that says real negus don't die

below: “The Minister of Enterprise” by Kudzanai Chiurai.  Oversized shades indoors, a big cigar, and some bling.  Add some swagger.

portrait of a black man all blinged out

below: I made a mistake with this room.  I initially thought, what a waste, a whole room for a red puffy jacket.  Turns it, it’s a godsend for instagram ready selfies.  Lots of room, mirrors behind the jacket, and presto…  many, many pictures on Instagram and TikTok.  I should have taken the time to wait for people to get in my way!

a mannequin with a red puffy jacket on a pedestal in a niche in a yellow room, mirrors behind the jacket

below: “Louis Uluru”, 2009, by Luis Gispert.  Looking at Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock, in Australia), from the comfort of a very well-appointed car.

below: Hanging from the ceiling, a collection of  one glittery pair of Adidas sneakers and many brown work boots, some sparkly with glitter and some not.  Bejewelled kicks.  “Cloud Break”, a sculpture by Devan Shimoyama

a collection of sneakers and work boots strung together on a chain and hanging from the ceiling, in an art gallery, also some artificial flowers stuck into the boots.

Exhibit continues until April 2025.

Graffiti Alley is still an interesting place to explore.  Unlike some street art locations that have succumbed to the scrawls and tags of the less well-intentioned, good art and ideas can still be found here.  At present, adding to the eclectic nature of the graffiti in Graffiti Alley are a few interesting portraits done on half skateboards (or at least on wood in the shape of a skateboard). Most are screwed onto wooden utility poles. This post was from January 2025 – a year later I found some skateboards that either I had missed the first time, or they had been added later. I also found that some of the originals had been defaced. I have mixed the two sets of photos into this post.

below: One on natural wood colour and the other in vibrant red.  The sticker says Positive Creations.  This is the 2025 version.

two men's portraits painted each on half of a skateboard, attached to a pole in graffiti alley. one is black line drawing on natural wood colour, and the other is very red

below: Photo taken in 2026

3 skateboard portraits with a large street art painting of a man's face, in grey tones, behind

below: 2025, pink and blue women

two women's portraits on a skateboard. Top one is turquoise and the bottom one is pink

below: A man with a mustache that looks a bit like Freddie Mercury

man's portrait painted on half of a skateboard, attached to a pole in graffiti alley

below: Three on the same pole in Graffiti Alley – A red person with shaggy hair and light blue glasses as well someone with very long orange hair.

portraits painted on half skateboards, 3 different men, one in red, one in orange, and one in pink, all on the same pole in graffiti alley, work of positive creations

 man's portrait painted on half of a skateboard, in red, shaggy hair, and wearing light blue glasses, attached to a pole in graffiti alley

below: At the bottom, a quizzical look on a pink face.

pink man's portrait painted on half of a skateboard, attached to a pole in graffiti alley

below: From 2026 (as are the rest of the images)

graffiti alley, portraits on broken skateboard,

below: Old Joy is also a 2026 addition.

portrait of a person with log hair and glasses, painted on a broken skateboard also the text old joy, written 4 times in stencilled capital letters

portrait of a woman in yellow with blue outlines, short hair, on a broken skateboard

yellow outlline drawing portrait on red background, painted on a broken skateboard

below: These may have been included in the above images from 2025 but they have been defaced so much that I am not sure.   The top one looks like it might have been a multi-legged creepy crawly thing with pincers in front.

two defaced, painted over with other graffiti, portraits on skateboards, on wooden pole in graffiti alley

It’s possible that there are more…. Also, if anyone has any idea as to who has painted these, please let me know!

In the lobby of 150 King West there is a display of the artwork of two artists, Katerina Bohac and Diana Rosa.  Most of the paintings are portraits of women.  The exhibit continues until the end of May.

below: “Sophia in Dubai”, Katerina Bohac

below: “Saguaro Amor”, Diana Rosa

below: “Light of Hope” by Katerina Bohac

below: “A Century of Chairs”, Diana Rosa

The exhibit was organized by Helloart whose goal is to bring businesses and local artists together.

For more information on the artists see the links:

Katerina Bohac

Diana Rosa 

 

below: An aside, being in the lobby of 150 King West provides a different vantage point for this sculpture by Sorel E. Trog on the northeast corner of King and University.

If you are interested in photography, especially taking pictures of people, then I highly recommend seeing the current exhibit of Arthur Newman’s black and white photos at the Art Gallery of Ontario.  Newman was an American photographer born in New York City in 1918.  He is known for his work with portraits, especially with ‘environmental portraits’.  These are images that are much more than head shots as they include context that provides further information about the subject.  Often the location or the accessories used in the shot were more dominant than the person being photographed.

Keep in mind that these are pictures of framed photographs hung in a room with low light, i.e. they are much better in real life.

below left: Michel Tapie, art critic and curator
below right: Georges Mathieu, French painter

black and white portrait by Arnold Newman, 2 portraits, on right is Georges Mathieu a French Painter and on left is

below top: from left to right – Phillip Glass 1981 composer, artist Roy Lichtenstein 1975, and Annie & Josef Albers 1976 (also artists)
below bottom: (all painters) from left to right – Edward Hopper 1960, Richard Artschwager 1987, and Lily Michaels 1959.  The image that is only partially shown is of Martha Graham, dancer and choreographer taken in 1961.

on wall at art gallery of ontario, black and white portrait by Arnold Newman, 6 photos

below: Israeli artist Moshe Kupferman, taken 1982

black and white portrait by Arnold Newman, of artist Moshe Kupferman

below left: Abstract image in home of Yechiel and Haviva Shemi, 1982
below right: Allen Ginsberg, poet, 1985

at art gallery of ontario, exhibit of black and white portraits by arnold newman, photo of poet alan ginsberg kneeling on a bed

below: Jean Arp, sculptor, 1949

at art gallery of ontario, exhibit of black and white portraits by arnold newman of french sculptor jean arp

below left: Jean Cocteau, 1960, writer and visual artist
below right: Yaacov Agam, sculptor, 1966

at art gallery of ontario, exhibit of black and white portraits by arnold newman, 2 photos

below left: Julio La Parc, artist, 1967
below right: Lee Krasner, artist 1973

at art gallery of ontario, exhibit of black and white portraits by arnold newman, 2 photos

below: John Hay Whitney, taken 1947.  Whitney was chairman of the board at MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York City.

portrait of John Hay Whitney taken by Arnold Newman

below: Priscilla Colt and Thomas C. Colt Jr., 1950, museum directors, Portland Art Museum, Oregon.

portrait taken inside an art gallery, beside a scultprue of a standing figure, a couple,  photo taken by arnold newman

black and white photo by Arnold Newman of a man holding a picture frame around his head

Unfortunately this show ends this weekend, on the 21st of January.  I didn’t realize that it was ending so soon so I am glad that I caught it when I did.

“Resilience” is a photography exhibit at Cedarbrae Library.

part of exterior wall of Cedarbrae library, part window and part photography exhibit, large photos in black and white of people

It is the creation of Scarborough Made.  This is a group founded by Alex Narvaez x Sid Naidu in 2019.  It uses photography and cinematography to document positive stories about the people of Scarborough with emphasis on identity and culture.

black and white photography, a couple standing outside a building, she in white sleeveless top and white pants, he in darker clothes

four large black and white portraits on exterior wall of glass windows Cedarbrae library, Resilience for ArtworxTO

words describing a photography exhibit, outdoors, at Cedarbrae library, Resilience by the group Scarborough Made,

Resilience:
The ability to recover from challenges or adjust easily to change.

Resilience exists all around us.

We see it in the movers and shakers, the cultural change makers and creative instigators.

We see it in our neighbourhoods, from the small businesses to our healthcare and essential workers.

Resilience is what lives in our narratives and exists within our identity.

Our resilience as a community is stronger when we stick together.  With it, we can overcome the challenges and build towards a better future.

The portraits you see as part of this public art installation represent the many faces that embody resilience. Pulling from both past and present works of Scarborough Made artists, we’ve created this exhibit for you to see and reflect on the humanity that exists within our community.

Resilience is us
Resilience is you
Resilience is Scarborough. ”

cedarbrae library in scarborough, photography display

black and white portraits on display in windows of library

       Artists

  • Alicia Reid
  • Ferdinand Orlain
  • Millicent Amurao
  • Nithursan Elamuhilan
  • Alex Narvaez x Sid Naidu