Berry buddies

 

Location: Laneway north of Dundas, just west of McCaul

Date photo taken: 4 September 2018

I wanted something spring-like for this week and have opted for this mural by Sarah Cannon (@nightarcade). With the plucky mouse figure and its unlikely partner, it just makes me happy. It's yet another mural in the laneway transformed back in August 2018 by a WomxnPaintTO event.

Divine Femininity

Location: Laneway south of D'Arcy, east of Beverley
Date photo taken: 4 September 2018

In honour of International Women's Day next week, I'm sharing yet another fabulous mural from the Womxn Paint's laneway event back in 2018. This one is by Désiré Betty, and believe it or not, it was her first mural and her first time working with spray paint.

Bell Box - Natasha Dichpan

 

Location: Logan between Gerrard and Dundas

Date photo taken: 16 October 2021

Image# 13 in the Bellbox Series

I just love this majestic looking fox. It's the work of artist Natasha Dichpan (@the_illust) and was painted as part of the Bell Box Murals Project in 2020.

Just Hanging Out

 

Location: Sewells Road

Date photo taken: 13 March 2021

Image #12 in the Bellbox Series

This cute and colourful collection of critters is painted on a Bell Box in Scarborough. It was likely done as part of a Mural Routes project in 2014. I love the odd assembly of animals and the simple style, but I have to admit that part of my brain insists on pointing out that they're not social distancing. 

Rainbow Tunnel

Location: East Don Trail
Date photo taken: 23 January 2021

This rainbow tunnel is likely familiar to any who have driven up the Don Valley Parkway. It sits on the east side, just south of the Lawrence exit and it's been around since the very early 1970s. It was originally painted by a youth named BC Johnson as a memorial to a friend who died in a car crash on the nearby roadway. Every time the city painted it over, which happened often, he would return and repaint. Eventually the City embraced the mural and in 2013 it provided funding to Mural Routes to refresh the rainbow and to create a further mural on the inside of the tunnel. If you want to visit it in person it can be accessed from west of the Don Valley via Moccasin Trail Park, or from the east side via Milne Hollow and the East Don Trail.

Echoes - I Am Looking For a Job And I Found It

Location: Lawrence Ave. E. bridge over Highland Creek
Date photo taken: 13 October 2015

This is a small snippet from the lengthy community-inspired mural that runs along the south side of the Lawrence Avenue bridge spanning Highland Creek Park. Made up of imagery and text reflecting the diverse members of the neighbouring communities, this Mural Routes project was completed in the summer of 2011 by local artists and a large group of volunteers. To see more, check out this earlier NeaTO post or watch the slideshow on Mural Routes' website.

Echoes - What I Love About the City

Location: Lawrence Ave., on a bridge spanning the Highland Creek Ravine
Date photo taken: 13 October 2015

It takes quite awhile to walk the length of the bridge that spans the Highland Creek Ravine at Lawrence Ave. E. On this particular day the trees in the ravine were a spectacular sight, but even in the depths of winter the mural painted along the length of the south side of the bridge ensures you always have plenty to look at. For the most part, it's quite subtle. Much of the imagery is done in a dark grey, almost blending in with the concrete, but the bright orange accents bring it all to life. A Mural Routes project which involved many neighbourhood partners, the subject matter reflects the voices, ideas and dreams of those in the community.