PHLEGM mural

 

Location: West side of 1 St. Clair West

Date photo taken: 2 November 2025

This mural, covering nearly eight storeys of the building at 1 St. Clair West, is approaching its 10 year anniversary. Created by U.K.-based street artist Phlegm the result is not a random work, divorced from its surroundings, but rather incorporates input from local residents and business operators. The human form is meant to be representative of the city as a vibrant ecosystem and is made up, on close inspection, of depictions of various Toronto landmarks, as suggested by the locals canvassed. 

Traffic Signal Box - Blue Jays

 

Location: Railside Road and Lawrence Avenue East

Date photo taken: 23 January 2021

Image #22 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

There's so much buzz about the Toronto Blue Jays right now that it seemed a good time to share this signal box. It was created by Tomas Del Balso as part of the 2016 Outside the Box painting program and was designed to "inspire the public with their own hometown bird and to remind the community that we truly have something special living in Toronto."

Traffic Signal Box - Toronto Map Maze

 

Location: Eastern Avenue at Carlaw

Date photo taken: 9 January 2021

Image #21 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

If you find yourself near the corner of Eastern Avenue and Carlaw with some time on your hands, pop over to the north east corner and find this traffic signal box. On it artist Pam Lostracco has created a maze using Toronto's streets and rivers. The CN Tower is marked as the start and there are other destinations, many of them greenspaces, to discover as you work your way through the maze and around the box. A fun and different way to discover the city.

Celebration of the arts

 

Location: East wall of 290 Adelaide Street West

Date photo taken: 5 February 2022

On a big blank wall next to a parking lot at John and Adelaide is this gorgeous tribute to arts and culture. It's by Alexander Bacon, a Canadian graffiti artist, and was created as a Partnership Project through StART in 2019. If you're curious, the portraits he has incorporated are of real people, whom he credits in his Instagram feed as @que_rock_, @anniecwh and @allblckerthing.

Traffic Signal Box - Painted Ladies

Location: Dundas St. West at Wimbleton

Date photo taken: 25 June 2024

Image #21 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

I have to admit, I have no idea if these are Painted Lady butterflies. They could very well be American Ladies, which are similar, or something else entirely. Both Painted Ladies and American Ladies regularly migrate between Mexico and Ontario, and while most of the time neither are particularly plentiful here, every once in awhile they will arrive in great numbers. 

Signal box by Natalie Very B

Location: Lakeshore at Thirty Seventh Street

Date photo taken: 10 July 2021

Image #20 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

In honour of International Women's Day this Friday, here's one of Natalie Very B's gorgeous everyday goddesses. She painted it in 2020 as part of that year's crop of signal boxes prettied up through the city's Outside the Box program. Her boldly beautiful depictions of body positivity and self-love caught the attention of CBC and in 2020 they commissioned her to create a CBC Arts logo for Women's History Month. You can check out that logo, and read the article and interview here.

Traffic Signal Box - Birds

 

Location: Moore Avenue at Mount Pleasant

Date photo taken: 21 June 2023

Image #19 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

Here's another signal box brought to life by the City's Outside the Box program. It was painted in 2022 by Erin McCluskey, her third signal box for the program, although her work can also be found on Bell boxes, construction hoardings and other projects around the city.  

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.

Old Man Winter

 

Location: 313 Pharmacy Avenue

Date photo taken: 5 August 2022

The West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Centre at the edge of Byng Park is decorated all around with colourful murals. It wasn't until I got home and was looking through the photos that I realized that the north wall is devoted to the seasons. I present this one in honour of the snow that has finally fallen.

Traffic Signal Box - Smile

 

Location: Bathurst at Elderwood Drive

Date photo taken: 23 November 2019

Image #18 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

Smile. It's good advice. This is courtesy of Bareket Kezwer and it's a common theme in her art. As are bright colours and positivity, which is why I love that her work is showing up more and more places around the city.

Traffic Signal Box - Shoot the Shooter

Location: North east corner of Dundas and Sumach

Date photo taken: 20 June 2021

Image #17 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

Here's another striking mini mural thanks to StreetARToronto's Outside the Box program. This one was done in 2015 by Toronto artist Matt Cohen. For those of you unfamiliar with the neighbourhood, Dundas and Sumach is right in the heart of the former Regent Park housing development which has been the focus of intensive redevelopment since 2005. In the background of this photo you can see the colonnade of the new DuEast high rise condo development at 225 Sumach. If you visit the artist's blog, you'll notice that the background of the photo he took after completing the box looks much, much different. It's almost as if this photographer was placed here to capture the changes taking place in the neighbourhood.

NeaTO: The City of Toronto Archives has a massive photograph collection that documents much of the city, and it happens to have a picture of the north east corner of Dundas and Sumach from 1972, showing the low rise housing of Regent Park. 

Cycling is Elemental

Location: Richmond Street, between Berkeley and Ontario
Date photo taken: 19 June 2021

Over the summer, the concrete dividers that keep cyclists on the Richmond Street cycle track separated from cars are getting some special treatment. Organized by StreetARToronto, more than 125 different artists have been commissioned to paint the 300+ concrete barriers, creating what StART describes as a bikeable art gallery. Two sections, comprising the stretch between Parliament and University, have been completed to date. This particular section is the work of Sam Roe. 

Spring Flowers

 

Location: Lawrence Ave. E. at Curlew

Date photo taken: 23 January 2021

Image #16 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

The official start of spring may still be a few weeks away but spring temperatures were definitely in evidence in the city today. Pretty soon real live tulips will be everywhere, but until then, this gorgeous sunny mini mural will stand in nicely. I assume it was done as part of StART's Outside the Box program but I can't find any info on the artist. If you know, please comment!

Water Dragon

Location: Construction hoarding at Lakeshore east of Coxwell
Date photo taken: 26 February 2021

The City is undertaking its largest ever storm water management program to help improve water quality in the Don River and the along the waterfront. The first phase involves the creation of a huge tunnel system for capturing and storing excess water during storms. The hoarding which was erected around the construction site on the western edge of the park known as Main Sewage Treatment Playground has provided a huge canvas and last October more than 90 artists were invited to create their vision of a water-themed work of art. This one is by Cesar AR, or Cesar Alonso, a Colombian born artist based in Toronto. 

Just Chilling with the Cat

Location: Atlantic Avenue, south of Liberty

Date photo taken: 11 November 2020

I feel like this is what many of us have been doing this February. Sitting around, enjoying way too much coffee, talking to the cat. 

This mural is by Jason Pinney and Jarus and it was commissioned back in 2016 by Liberty Street Cyclery which occupied the building at the time. It was sponsored by the City's StreetArt program. 

 

One of my favourite things

 

Location: Eglington Avenue and Kennedy Road

Date photo taken: 27 February 2017

Image #15 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

I love the treatment Margaret Cresswell gave this traffic signal box as part of the Outside the Box project in 2015. It's simple but thanks to that delightful earworm of a song, strikes me as both whimsical and full of possibility. When I was scrolling through my photos, this one just jumped out at me. These days I can't leave my apartment without seeing boxes in the hallway, scattered around the lobby, and overflowing from the mailroom. None however are tied up with string. 

Friendly Robot

Location: 1712 Ellesmere Road

Date photo taken: 18 February 2017

This friendly-looking flower loving robot can be found on the barrier wall edging the property of Community Living Toronto at 1712 Ellesmere. On the other side of the wall is the portion of Line 3 that extends between McCowan station and the McCowan Yard, where the trains rest when not in service.

The mural is one of several that were painted as part of the WALL EXPRESSIONS - Community Strong!! Event held over a weekend in June 2015. A collaboration between Team SPUDBomb, StreetARToronto and Toronto Police Services, the project was designed to inject some extra colour, fun and positivity to the neighbourhood.

Out of Order

 

Location: Lawrence and Orton Park Road

Date photo taken: 7 September 2020

Image #14 in the Traffic Signal Box Series 

Here is yet another traffic signal box upgraded through the City's Outside the Box program. It was done in 2016 but I just stumbled across it on the weekend. It's a new favourite and a great example of why it pays to look at both sides.

Traffic Signal Box - Maple Leaf Mosaic

Location: Maple Leaf Drive at Jane
Date photo taken: 22 February 2020
Image #13 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

Happy Canada Day!

This box is the work of Thomas Dannenberg and it was commissioned in 2018 as part of the 6th year of the Outside the Box project. This city run program invites artists and graphic designers to apply for the opportunity to paint one of the many traffic signal boxes that dot intersections across the city. Applicants are encouraged "to consider the context of the local area and the city as a whole" when creating their design. Outside the Box is one of many projects run by Street Art Toronto, which also maintains an artist directory - the perfect place to find an artist to paint that garage mural you've always wanted.