Desert Blooms

Location: East-west platform at Yonge and Bloor

Date photo taken: 28 January 2019

Desert blooms have come to Toronto just in time for our deep freeze. Scottsdale, Arizona, which is home to a very robust arts and culture scene, has taken over the Yonge and Bloor subway station with their colourful flower murals. The flowers, which invite Torontonians to "come see what blooms in the desert" are the work of Phoenix-based artist Lauren Lee. Ms. Lee's original canvases were digitally enlarged and printed on vinyl before being shipped to two of North America’s busiest transportation hubs, Penn Station and Plaza in New York City and Yonge and Bloor station in Toronto. Watch the art take shape and hear Ms. Lee talk about the project on absolutelyscottsdale.com's website.

Toronto Light Fest - 2019

Location: Distillery District

Date photo taken: 21 January 2019

If you check out the website for the Toronto Light Fest, you'll discover that, in their opinion, winter sucks. They aspire to "create a positive, magical urban world that people of all ages and backgrounds will enjoy and look forward to." I certainly do. While I don't think winter sucks, there is no denying it's dark a lot of the time. I love patio lights and holiday lights and now for the next fews months I can enjoy the lights in the Distillery. I took this picture on a Monday night, when the temperature was -13C and felt much colder, but it meant that I got to stand in this structure - I dub it the aurora igloo even though its actual name is Enunciation - all alone, for as long as I wanted. It was cold, sure, but it was also very calming. 

The Hand

Location: southeast corner of King and University

Date photo taken: 17 December 2017

This monumental hand is the work of Romanian-born artist Sorel Etrog. After living and studying art in both Israel and New York, Etrog came to Canada in 1963 and made Toronto his home. Created in 1972, this is one of over a dozen of his works on display in public spaces around the city. The closest can be found right across the street, on the northeast corner of King and University. For many, his most coveted work was the statue best known as the Genie which was awarded each year by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television until it was replaced by the Canadian Screen Awards, and a new statue, in 2013.

Snapshot - Queen Street, west of Yonge

Location: Queen Street, looking west from Yonge
Date photo taken: 21 December 2018

This short stretch of Queen Street West is seeing its fair share of changes lately. In addition to the dramatic new skybridge which opened in 2017 replacing the original one installed back in 1979, this image includes glimpses of two very different renovation projects. In the centre background is the 33-storey building formerly known as the Simpson Tower. Designed by John B. Parkin, a firm often referred to as legendary for its modernist designs, it was completed in 1969. The update has removed the original bronze-tinted glazing and thick concrete bands that ringed the building, updating the look along with the energy efficiency of the building and removing a distinctive piece of history from the city's skyline. 

In the right foreground of the picture is the construction scaffolding surrounding 2 Queen Street West, which is a very different renovation story. This building, which has been covered whole or in part by cladding since the 1960s is now being restored back to its 1885 glory. For more detail and some great pictures, check out this article.

Hey Kids, You Rock!

Location: Alexandra Park
Date photo taken: 2 April 2013

This colourful mural with a positive message appears on the building housing the washrooms in Alexandra Park, near Dundas and Bathurst.