Waterfall

Location: Inside atrium of Scotia Plaza, 40 King St. W.
Date photo taken: 19 March 2019

The next time you're passing near King and Bay, pop into Scotia Plaza, the unmistakable red granite building near the north east corner. The south wall of the atrium features a soaring 15-storey artwork made up of 69 individual oil on canvas panels. Together they depict a waterfall, specifically the falls in Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park, Alberta. It's by Canadian artist Derek Besant and it was specially commissioned for the space by Scotiabank for the opening of the Plaza in 1989. What's particularly cool about this piece is that it is to scale, being a faithful representation of the size and look of the falls at the time Besant created the work.

If you want to see more by Besant, he currently has a text and photography project on display in 54 sites throughout the TTC as part of Myseum Intersections, which is on until March 31.

The Flatiron Mural

Location: Between Wellington and Front, at Church Street

Date photo taken: 2 April 2014

This mural is perhaps one of the best know pieces of public art in the city. It was also one of the first. In 1979 six Canadian artists were invited to submit designs for a new art installation to anchor the new Berczy Park. Derek Besant's winning vision transferred an historic storefront from across the street (43 Front Street, the current home of Winners) to this location and gave it a playful treatment. In his words, "I wanted to use both the old and the new in Toronto.... This project was a chance to use all the sensibilities in the city." 

Murals at that time were painted directly on the wall and tended to have a short life expectancy. To avoid this problem, Besant painted his mural on specially prepared panels affixed to a steel frame mounted on the wall. Even so, after more than 20 years of sun, rain and snow, the paint had started to peel and the image fade. A major restoration of the work was undertaken in 2008, at which time the panels were traced, sanded, primed and completely repainted.