As you walk west on Carleton Street from Sherbourne, this is the view – Allan Gardens on the left and downtown Toronto straight ahead. One of the dominant features of this view is the large mural; it was painted by Okuda (aka Okuda San Miguel) in 2018 and is called “Equilibrium”.
A little bit farther west, and another mural comes into view. As you get closer to Homewood, look right and look up.
A giant maple tree in autumn foliage now grows up the south wall of 140 Carleton Street. This is a much newer mural, “Ecology of Us”. Jarus painted this wonderful 22 storey tree this past month.
It is best viewed from Allan Gardens where the trees are also wearing their October finery these days. In fact, the tree in the mural is based on one of the maple trees here in the park.
The “Ecology of Us” project is part of the StreetARToronto (StART) Monumental
Program. This program funds large-scale, high-rise building murals across Toronto in collaboration with building owners (in this case, WJ Properties).
“Equilibrium” can also be seen from Allan Gardens. It pokes its head up over the roof of one of the greenhouses.
To see the whole of “Equilibrium”, you have to walk over to Jarvis Street because Grace Toronto Church, and other buildings, are in the way.
If you walk east on Bloor from Dundas West, you will encounter a railway bridge.
A section of the walls of this underpass have recently been painted by 40+ artists. The south side is now covered in new murals.
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
below:Opola Karim painted this Toronto skyline scene, a view that is well known to anyone who has visited the Toronto islands.
below: Peaceful, loving hands joining together by Phillip Saunders aka Loveishere
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
below: A peace dove in a swirl of calligraphy, by Medeio
below:Danilo Deluxo, a woman in an elaborate helmet, futuristic pilot.
below: Facing each other, 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.
below:Ghazaraza‘s ladies are sharing a pot of tea.
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.
below: A cute little grey cat with green eyes.
below: GO train – definitely On the Move!
below: “The Lookout aka the Fruit Bandits” not letting a fence get in the way! by Jim Bravo
below: Mother and daughter watching the traffic in a mural by Colin Tea.
The passage between Asquith and Church streets has been renamed Sherlock Holmes Walk and it now features a large mural honoring the fictional detective first brought to life by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
“I am a brain Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix”, section by Bernice Lum
The mural was developed in partnership with the TTC, the City of Toronto’s StreetARToronto (StART) program, the Toronto Public Library (TPL) and the Friends of the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection. It differs from most street art in that the panels were produced elsewhere. They also have a shiny finish on them so there are many reflections.
The hoardings surround a construction site for the TTC’s Bloor-Yonge Capacity Improvements Project. The site will be home to a future fan building to enhance air circulation at the newly renovated station.
below: The Palace of Westminster (England’s parliament buildings) as Sherlock’s “Mind Palace”, an image created by EGR. Other London scenes can be found in the background.
below: A younger Sherlock Holmes playing with toy soldiers and toy dinosaurs, Jeff Blackburn
A group of StART artists provided artwork for the mural – I haven’t been able to match all the artists to the sections (and I missed a panel or two?) As well as the artists named above, the following were also involved in this project: Artists: Adrian Hayles, Annwin Arts, Fatspatrol, Brian Jiang, Jasmin Pannu, Keitha Keeshig Tobias, Megan Oldhues, Melika Saeeda, Poser.
below: An image that makes me think of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” novel.
With the strength of our diversity;
With the wisdom of our ancestors.
We look ahead to our prosperity
We create our own identity
Based on love and empathy
We firmly believe in equality
Embracing our unity; unleashing our creativity
Striving for peace and respect
These simple paintings are arranged along a fence at Kingston and Galloway Roads in the West Hill neighbourhood in Scarborough. At one end, on Galloway Road, only the back of the person is seen from the sidewalk. In the middle, the people are starting to turn so that by the other end of the line they face the street.
This was a StreetARToronto project with the help of the Boys and Girls Club of East Scarborough as well as Behind the Line
below: A lonely ladybug and bumblebee await the return of the kids. Playgrounds still closed because of Covid-19.
below: Barriers around the pool in front of the Toronto 3D sign at Nathan Phillips Square. A perfect spot for a quiet picnic.
below: New mural on Charles Street – painted September 2019, by Justus Becker (from Frankfurt Germany) as part of the 2019 StART mural exchange program. One lens of the glasses is reflecting Toronto while the other lens mirrors Frankfurt.
below: Behind College Park (777 Bay Street)
below: If plants die on city property and no one is there to notice, does it really matter?
below: Two big rats anthropomorphized into a cute little Chinese couple on a Canada Post box. They appear on some of the stamps issued by the post office in honour of the Year of the Rat. The rat is the first of the 12 animals in the 12 year cycle of the old Chinese calendar. The rat also represents the hours of 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., in other words, both midnight and the beginning of a new day. Perhaps we are approaching midnight and our new day is just around the corner?
below: Is this seat taken?
below: Who can resist Unicorn Beauty?
Social distancing can be challenge even when most people are staying home. The way that the city and construction sites manage the sidewalks downtown barely worked before. Now, the confinement of the sidewalk space makes it impossible for two people to pass and still comply with safety guidelines. With some awareness, along with the ability to walk on the streets, it is possible to give everyone ample room. There is a debate going on about whether or not to close some streets, or at least close some lanes to traffic, to provide more space for walkers. Those on the “no” side such as the Toronto Public Health, claim that it just encourages more people to be out when they should be at home; it undermines “directives against people congregating in groups”.
More recently, a program called CurbTO has begun whereby some curb lanes are opened to either pedestrians or to parking for curbside pickup from stores. But even here, it’s not necessarily for walkers, but for people lining up to get into stores. It’s going to be a very different situation once pedestrian and traffic levels start to return to what they were in the old days and there are going to have been some infrastructure adaptations.
below: Navigating the sidewalks while still complying with what governments and health officials are suggesting. Note the poster on the wall “We are all in this together”.
below: It’s not often that traffic stops on Yonge Street for pedestrians and their pets.
below: On the southeast corner of Yonge and Gerrard, the facade of an old building is being preserved.
below: Brick and roofline details.
below: I was impressed by the engineering that is involved in keeping these old facades intact while the interior is gutted.
below: Talking to the polaroid guy.
below: No standing takes on a new meaning
below: Looking south on Bay Street from Queen.
below: Richmond Street construction, west of University Avenue.
This was my first time on the subway since mid-March. There were very few people there so it was easy avoiding them but once again, safely re-opening a city is not going to be easy. The packed buses and subways are going to be problematic.
Recently, Art Eggleton Lane, south off Harbord Street, was the site of the third annual butterfly laneway painting project organized by Nick Sweetman with help from StreetARToronto and the David Suzuki Foundation.
below: Bird on a branch with butterflies in the background by luvsumone, muisca, and Javid Jah. This mural is on the same garage as theone with the three butterflies on the left in the photo above.
below: Black line butterflies on a wood fence by Oriah Scott
below: This mural gives the impression that the butterfly is as vast as the universe, flying with the stars.
below: She becomes a butterfly in orange and pink, by Anya Mielniczek
below: In the foreground, a rainbow wasp moth by @drippin_soul aka Kalkidan Assefa
below: Butterflies in bubbles in a futuristic world by Sadar aka blazeworks
From the monochrome past to the coloured present – there’s a new mural on the corner of St. Clair West and Spring Grove painted by Christiano De Araujo. Old black and white photos of the area and its people provide the background for a group of ten very modern and diverse people.
below: The top photo is 1732 St. Clair West in 1911.
below: On the top, very left corner, the black and white photo is a street scene – It’s St Clair Ave looking east from Prescott Avenue, under the railway bridge and beyond. The bridge was built in 1931 and the photo was taken shortly after that.
Caterpillars and butterflies is the theme of the latest laneway painting project. A year ago, Nick Sweetman led a group of street artists who painted garage doors in a lane near Garrison Creek park with pictures of butterflies. These murals appeared in blog post in June 2017
This year’s project was similar. Many of the same artists were involved again this year. They used garages, fences and gates in a lane near Felstead Park (a block south of Greenwood subway station) as their canvas. Once again, the theme was butterflies as it too was part of the David Suzuki Foundation’s butterflyways project. This time, a similar blue background was used in all the murals which has given it a more unified appearance.
The project was curated by Nick Sweetman and it had the support of Start aka StreetARToronto
below: Felstead Park, by @braes_ack
below: In the shadow of the weed are the letters CTR
below: Mural signed by Kehoe, the face of David Suzuki
below: Green and yellow toadstools by mska
below: Mural by @oriah_scott
below: butterfly among the pink and red flowers, by P.S. aka Phillip Saunders
below: A sombre dark piece (is it finished?) by @poserabm
below: Three butterflies by Serina
below: Collaboration – A monarch painted by Nick Sweetman and a wonderful rose by Wales
below: A bright and busy mural by Spyone and Tensoe
below: The hookah-smoking caterpillar from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is crawling across the fence. Painted by elicser
below: Red panda out on a limb, perhaps chasing the butterfly, by Ted Hamer (@The1astRonin)
below: A butterfly in the garden; the work of Anya Mielniczek
below: Two flowers, one pink and one blue, by Chris Perez
below: It looks a lot like a skull on the back of this butterfly painted by @cmazzulla aka Christine Mazzulla
below: A curled up caterpillar in pink and black, very larger than life!, by Spud.
below: By Dezed, a butterly, mushrooms, and a bit of water
below: Reaching out to the butterfly, giving the butterfly a helping hand, painted by @drippin_soul (Kalkidan Assefa)
below: On the right, Emma, the property owner’s dog who died recently. Nick Sweetman painted the dog while @mr_tensoe2 painted the dog’s name
On Beatrice Street just south of College there is a small parking lot. The walls of the buildings on the north and east sides have been painted with a large mural called ‘A Stroll by Garrison Creek’ .
below: On the east side of the parking lot is a painting that represents Emily Bickford and her two daughters, Beatrice and Grace. The street that the parking lot is on was named for Beatrice Bickford. The next street parallel to Beatrice is Grace, named for Grace Bickford. You might recognize the name Bickford if you are familiar with the area – Bickford Park is just south of Christie Pits. Emily Bickford was responsible for donating some of her family’s land to the city to be used for parkland.
below: You may have spotted the words Spud Bomb in the picture below. Also, you might recognize the shapes in the dress that she wears as being similar to shapes seen in a lot of street art in Toronto. They are the work of Pascal Paquette. Both Paquette and Spud1 collaborated on this mural along with artist Artchild.
below: A large chickadee dominates the mural on the north side of the parking lot.
This mural was a StreetARToronto (StART) project, with help from VIBE Arts and the Toronto Parking Authority. It was completed a couple of months ago, September 2016.
