shalak | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘shalak’

Riders at New Moon Variety

Posted: September 14, 2017 in graffiti and street art
Tags: bee, bike, blue birds, Bruno Smoky, clandestinos, cyclist, door window, fox, garage door, Harbord St., mural, new moon variety, shalak, Shalak Attack, smoky, street art

At the corner of Roxton and Harbord, at what was once the New Moon Variety store, there is a large and colourful Clandestinos mural. The store is now Riders Cycle so it is apt that the mural features a large cyclist, a dapper fox with bright red cycling gloves and a wicker basket full of flowers and carrots.

A blue bird at the left flying in front of the garage door.

The window now looks like it protrudes from the wall and is part of the mural.

Like all good cyclists, he has a light on his bike but this light is a miniature person with a powerful flashlight.

buzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Another blue bird in flight, this time at the righthand side of the mural.

almost clandestine Clandestinos

Posted: June 21, 2017 in alleys, graffiti and street art
Tags: alley, alligator, animals, ape, bird, Bruno Smoky, clandestinos, creek, crocodile, driveway, Dundas West, feathers, graffiti, lane, leaves, nature, shalak, Shalak Attack, smoky, street art, turtle

On Dundas West, just west of Dufferin, there are two lanes with large murals by clandestinos.

One is the alley to the west of the Lulu Lounge where both sides are covered with fantastic paintings by fiya, shalak, and bruno smoky as well as a few others. I blogged about it just over two years ago and here is the link to the original post, “life as the shadow of vida“. Earlier this week I took another look at it – it’s still looking great and there have been no changes so I didn’t take any photos.

The other alley is nearby but on the north side of Dundas Street. Actually, it’s hardly an alley, more like a driveway which made taking pictures of the whole mural difficult. Also, if you are traveling eastbound on Dundas, you’d miss it. Here are the pictures that I managed to take:

we’ll start with ravens and flamingos

Posted: February 22, 2017 in alleys, graffiti and street art, old buildings
Tags: alley, alphabet, artist, black birds, boy, Bruno Smoky, buildings, College Street, cowboys, creatures, crows, dogs, Dufferin Grove, faces, fiya, flamingos, graffiti, J Bizzel, Johnathan Ball, junk, Katia Engell, lane, mud, mural, painting, park, people, ravens, reflections, Runt, shalak, spray paint, stores, street art, sunshine, trees, truck, water, witches, woman, words

below: I doubt she’s saying that she loves the sunshine THIS MUCH! but I’d like to think she is. That’s certainly what was going through my head for most of the weekend so I’m going to pretend that she agrees with me!… especially since I am writing this as the rain falls outside my window.

But back to those ravens and flamingos that I promised you…..

below: But not everyone’s happy. Witches brewing with ravens and crows nearby. There always seems to be symbolism associated with these large black birds so I went searching for information. Ravens and crows are found throughout most of the northern hemisphere so many diverse cultures have their own mythologies surrounding these birds. The best summary I found was this, “On the negative side, Raven represents the profane, the devil, evil spirits, the trickster and thief, war and destruction, death and doom, the void. Yet in many cultures Raven also represents deep magic, the mystery of the unknown, death and transformation, creation, healing, wisdom, protection, and prophecy. ” (source) We don’t know exactly what Fiya Bruxa, Shalak, and Bruno had in mind when they painted this mural but I doubt that it was something positive – those witches look rather angry and nasty.

below: From the vengeful looking faces above to these hopelessly romantic flamingos is just a matter of a few steps along College Street. They’re the center part of a larger mural by Katia Engell.

There are 4 flamingos altogether and they are in between two other murals.
In the picture below you can just see the yellow of an alphabet mural by runt

below: Too many things in the way makes for an awkward photo but you can still see enough of it to play the game of what creature goes with what letter! R is for robot dog? Z is for zlithering thingy with rings?

below: J is for jumping purple blob? C is for coughing-up- dinnersaurus?
And look, an alley to explore……

Wait! Before going down the alley I want to take a few steps backwards. Remember that I mentioned that the flamingos were between two murals? This is what is on the other side…..

below: Three cowboys in a mural signed by J Bizzel 4 Shizzel.
The one with his shirt off is the one under the air conditioner.

below: This strange but happy fellow was waiting in the alley.

below: If you look closely at this painting, you will notice that the wavy lines continue behind the bars of the railing and that there is only a small distance between the railing and the wall. That was not a simple paint job.

below: ‘Such a fool’ and someone to agree with it.

below: I’m not too sure what to say about this one. Vermut? or Vermouth? Too much vermouth and you take your clothes off, versmut? Bad joke.

That’s the end of our little tour.
Find a sunny spot and pull up a chair and rest your feet for a few minutes.

Tomorrow there will be puddles to go splashing through…
but that’s a story for another day.

back to Wilson station

Posted: December 7, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: abstract, Allen Expressway, brunosmoky, colours, concrete, face, fingers, hands, patterns, pillars, shalak, sidewalk, smoky, street, subway, TTC, urban, Wilson Ave., Wilson subway station

Back in mid October I blogged about the new murals on the south side Wilson Ave as it passes under the Allen Expressway (where Wilson subway station is).

below: Looking across Wilson Avenue to part of the mural on the south side.

When I was there last, the murals on the north side were not completed. The other day I remembered that I hadn’t seen the finished work, so I took the subway back to Wilson station to see what the pillars on the north side look like. There is more light on the north side as there are entrances to the subway along the sidewalk here. There is also more pedestrian traffic.

This side was also painted by shalak and smoky (as was the south side).

below: In the center by one of the well-lit subway entrances.

below: Looking east along Wilson Avenue.

below: A little street artist with his can of spray paint has been left in a corner.
He’s not easily spotted.

Peperonata Lane

Posted: December 6, 2016 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: 2013, alley, bird, building, clandestinos, colours, construction, deer, Elicser, faces, fiya, Galle, garage, garage doors, hawk, houses, lane, Little Italy, miles, Montrose, paintings, people, Peperonata Lane, poise, poser, renovations, shalak, smoky, squares, street art, tags, wallnoize

Peperonata Lane runs north from Harbord Street. Most of the garage doors in the alley have been painted. Some were painted as part of a Wallnoize project in 2013.

below: Take a seat… and see what kind of street art there is here.

below: A woman feeds the chickens.

below: This mural, done in 2009, is one of the older ones in the lane.

below: A deer and a hawk

below: Elicser people and a text painting by poise.

below: Split face on a fence, by fiya

below: A poser bunny

below: Multicoloured grumpy cat by shalak and clandestinos.

below: Wrinkled man with fish in hand, by smoky

below: A garage door painted by miles.

From City of Toronto documentation on the naming of Peperonata Lane, November 2012:

“The residents whose properties border on the lane have provided the following background information on the proposed name:”

” …throughout each year, the Galle family, who’ve lived at 441Montrose (the east side) since 1972, includes many Montrose residents in their annual celebration of making the “sugo” or tomato sauce, the roasted peppers and peperonata party, and the spirited soppressata contest, which they bring from their home country of Italy. Everyone learns the old world techniques and celebrates their new life in our Canadian context.

To commemorate how our lives have been enriched by the Galles welcoming and generous spirits, and in keeping with the traditions they’ve taught us and that we’ve now made our own, we propose the lane be named “Peperonata Lane” as a way of celebrating their unsung contribution to our neighbourhood”.

Bloordale, north of Bloor

Posted: June 18, 2016 in graffiti and street art
Tags: alley, altered signs, Belarusan, Bruno Smoky, Dastardly Whiplash, doors, faces, fiya, garage, garage door, graffiti, lane, laneway, line drawing, lovebot, marker, meow, mural, old cars, orthodox church, outdoor, patios, Rob Ford, shalak, signs, spray paint, St. Kiryla, stop sign, street art, tiger cub, woof, words

below: “Stop and we’ll build” in Bloordale Village, an area along Bloor St. West between Dufferin St. and Lansdowne Ave.

Last Saturday was Bloordale’s third annual community garage sale and laneway crawl. Many front yards were full of items for sale. A couple of families were selling homemade food and there was at least one lemonade stand.

I walked the area fairly early in the morning so many of the activities were just getting set up. There were things to do and games to play in the alleys and in Susan Tibaldi park. I have blogged previously about this area so last Saturday I only took pictures of things that were new. There weren’t very many changes in the alleys.

below: We are Starlight, we are golden…. **

below: … and it seems that we were all born in outer space. Lovebot and some friends.

Along the side of a building on Jenet Ave I found a large mural of three faces painted by Shalak, Fiya and Bruno Smoky. It faces a parking lot and there were cars in the way. I took some photos anyhow; I think you should be able to see the faces reasonably well.

below: Two women, the one on the left was painted by Shalak while the one on the right is by Fiya.

below: The mustached man and his fish was painted by Bruno Smoky.

below: Remnants of old Rob Ford graffiti still remain around the city including this doorway.

below: This building on Brock Street on has been empty for years.

below: The front of 668 Brock Ave with its Salvation Army ghost sign. In 1921 it was home to the Brock Avenue People’s Mission while next door at 666 Brock Ave., the Number 16 Corps of the Salvation Army was stationed. Its history since then is still a mystery to me.

below: At the not so picturesque corner of Lansdowne and Paton Rd., I found a metal fence. A sign on it says that it is the ‘Lansdowne Fence Temporary Artwork’ by artists Scott Eunson and Marianne Lovink, commissioned by the TTC in 2010. But why is the TTC involved with this vacant lot?

below: And as you can see, it’s a large lot. As it turns out, this was the site of the TTC Lansdowne Carhouse up until 1996. Although the carhouse was classified as a heritage building, it was demolished in 2003. The land has been vacant ever since.

below: Lansdowne carhouse, 1996, photo credit: Robert Lubinksi, TTC collection, found online.

below: A new mural has been painted on the side of the South Indian Dosa Mahal restaurant at the corner of Emerson and Bloor. It is the creation of SPUD and his team with the support of StreetARToronto and the Bloordale BIA. It’s probably the biggest tiger cub in Toronto!

below: Dasdardly Whiplash in his latest role as a graffiti artist near Lansdowne subway station.

below: Small places of worship are scattered all over the city. Many are in buildings once used for other purposes, including (by the looks of it) this one, the Belarusan Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Parish of St. Kiryla of Turau. Trivia #1 of the day: autocephalous is “self-headed” and in this context refers to a church whose bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. Trivia #2: St. Kiryla (c.1130 – 1182) was an eloquent and poetic preacher in Turau which is south of Minsk and east of Warsaw. And on that note I will move on before I end up writing a treatise on Eastern Orthodox religions.

below: Not your average patio!

And last, let’s finish with a splash of bright summer sunshine!

** yes, I know I’ve misquoted

be inspired and unique

Posted: December 11, 2015 in graffiti and street art
Tags: apartment buildings, beloved, blackburn, box, butterflies, community, essencia, faces, Finch Ave., fiya bruxa, hearts, high rise, Jane St., Jeff Blackburn, lil bruxas, men, North York, people, rooted, shalak, unique, united freedom, women

Today’s blog post comes from slightly farther afield than I usually venture. I went northwest to the Jane and Finch area. As I drove north on Jane street, I spotted some eye-catching paintings on the walls of the Driftwood Community and Recreation Centre.

below: ‘Unique’, a vibrant heart painted by Girls Club

below: ‘Rooted’ trees by Lil Bruxas and part of ‘United Freedom’ on the back wall

below: ‘United Freedom’ by Essencia

below: A blackburn traffic signal box sits on that corner. Straight from the jungle.

A little father south there are a couple of high rise apartment buildings on the northeast corner of Jane and Finch. Each has a mural painted around one of the entrances to the building.

below: ‘Be Inspired, Love Yourself, Educate Others’ by the BeLovEd movement,
painted by Shalak Attack and Fiya Bruxas, 2011.

***

below: ‘Strong Women, Strong Community’ also by the BeLovEd Movement surrounds a doorway. Although there is a sidewalk that leads directly to the corner of Jane and Finch, no one was using this entrance. I was alone when I walked around this building from the parking lot by the main door.

Harbord at Bathurst

Posted: September 24, 2015 in graffiti and street art
Tags: alley, alligator, animals, Bampot, bear, brunosmoky, croc, crocodile, gator, Harbord Ave., house of tea, James Hales Lane, MXP, panda, peacock, shalak, smoky, snail, tea, tea cup, tiger, water

If you walk along Harbord Street, just east of Bathurst Street, you can’t miss the colourful paintings at the entrance to James Hales Lane. Most of them were painted by street artists Shalak and Smoky.

below: This bear is painted on the west side of Bampot Bohemian House of Tea & Board Games which explains the floating tea cup above his head.

below: This peacock is on the other side of the tea house. Signed by MXP, 2004.

below: This tiger is also on Harbord. It faces the peacock. Parts of the picture are washed out because of the angle of the afternoon sun on the day I saw this mural.

James Hales Lane is short and it is a dead end. There isn’t much more graffiti or street art in the lane.

where the 401 passes over the Humber River

Posted: May 29, 2015 in graffiti and street art, locations
Tags: 401 hwy, concrete, fiya, graffiti, grominator, Humber River, lovebot, mska, mural, Pan Am games, PanAmPath, poser, poser bunny, shalak, shrimp, smoky, spray paint, street art, tags, Toronto, under the bridge, underpass

Highway 401 passes over the Humber River just west of Weston Road. Beside the river is the Humber Recreational Trail that follows the river. Just south of the 401 there is a break in the trail because of the train tracks so a short detour via Weston Road is needed if you want to continue walking. Otherwise, the trail runs south to Lake Ontario and north to the city limits at Steeles Ave.

Just north of the 401 is Pine Point park and that is where I went to access the bridge under the 401. It is a big bridge with a lot of concrete surfaces. In other words, it is a large canvas for street art.

The most eastern wall of concrete has been painted with a mural by Shalak, Smoky and Fiya as part of the the Pan Am Path. The path is a “legacy” from the Pan Am games and will result in a trail the goes from Brampton to Pickering. Most of this path will incorporate existing trails but new sections are also being built. Anyhow, the mural consists of two women lying on a bed of flowers, one at each end of the bridge. Both are holding a white mask. In the middle is a heart and a pair of lovebirds on the branch of a tree.

Facing the above wall, and on the other side of the trail, is a wall that has recently been painted by a group of street artists. A picture is better than my attempts at translation!

The following photos are from that wall.

There are at least four more walls in this underpass. Running parallel to the trail (all the photos above) is a tunnel like part of the underpass to the west. There is no trail or river in this section, just dirt and rocks. There is some older graffiti on the walls here as well as the beginnings of newer paintings. I think that the plan is to complete these walls too. In the meantime, this is a sample of what’s there now.