Go Ahead in the Rain

 

Location: Laneway off Pelham Avenue

Date photo taken: 7 December 2022

A perfect mural for our showery April but it's also a call out to 90s hip hop band A Tribe Called Quest. Go Ahead in the Rain was a track on their first album and it's also the name of an award winning book about the group. 

7 Wellesley Cottages

 

Location: 7 Wellesley Cottages

Date photo taken: 6 March 2022

Stumbling across the Wellesley Cottages is akin to suddenly finding yourself in Narnia. That might seem a little extreme but hear me out. The way to the cottages is not obvious. True, there is a small street sign denoting Wellesley Cottages on Wellesley east of Parliament which marks the entranceway, but only the truly curious or those with some prior knowledge are likely to be lured in. It's just an access after all, but at the end sits a little laneway out of time, containing seven 19th century cottages. A small detached building like this one sits at either end of the lane, in between which sit a row of 5 adjoining workers cottages. Originally approximately 400 square feet each, they housed carpenters, labourers, a clerk and a tinsmith. Now they generally boast modern interiors with carefully disguised extensions, and list for what you'd expect a house in this affluent neighbourhood to fetch. This one, No. 7 is particularly interesting. Not so very long ago, it seemed out of place on the street. It sat alone at the end, small like its neighbours, but covered in wooden shingles and lacking the distinctive steep gable over the door. One publication referred to it as "an unkempt runt of a building". A renovation around 2010 that significantly extended the living space also returned the facade to its previous historic appearance. Thanks to Google streetview, 2009 view, you can see the difference for yourself. 

Dumpster Fire

 

Location: 48 Pelham Avenue

Date photo taken: 7 December 2022

More awesome raccoon antics courtesy of Emily May Rose, paired with the work of Erika James. The wall was done in 2021 as part of a Laneway Jam organized by KJ Bit Collective and supported by the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council.

Laneway garage mural

 

Location: Jefferys Lane

Date photo taken: 1 June 2023  

Walking Toronto's laneways, you never know what you're going to find. A pick-up basketball game maybe, or a gorgeous lilac in full bloom. Or a garage covered by a lovely mural. This is the work of Kingston, Ontario born artist Oriah Scott.

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.

Garage Heart

Location: Cayley Lane

Date photo taken: 7 January 2023

This painted garage is definitely the highlight of Cayley Lane, which otherwise doesn't have much going on. Presented here in honour of Valentine's Day. 

 

Street art in Alex Faulkner Lane

 

Location: Alex Faulkner Lane, between Islington and Sixth

Date photo taken: 24 March 2022

This bit of wildstyle is just a small piece of the colourful street art that covers two sides of the Toronto Tree Care building at the corner of Sixth Street and Alex Faulkner Lane in New Toronto. Many of the lanes in this part of town are similarly colourful, making it a fun place to explore.

New Toronto Toad

 

Location: Laneway between Fifth and Sixth streets in New Toronto

Date photo taken: 24 April 2022

Walking in New Toronto recently I was drawn down an alley by a riot of colour. Among the murals was this handsome fellow. The work of cruz1 and Zegar, it was part of a Wallnoize project in 2021. 

There's Something on the Garage

Location: in laneway between Logan and Ferrier

Date photo taken: 13 February 2017

On August 3 1978, just in time for long-weekend trips to the lake, Piranha hit theatres. I vividly remember seeing this movie and refusing to go swimming for days afterward. These memories return whenever I see this garage, painted by cruz1 (Angel Carrillo) as part of a Wallnoize event back in May 2015. Wallnoize9 brought a number of artists to brighten the walls and garages surrounding the small parkettes running west from Pape Station. Themes were nature, animals, characters, and kid friendly. 

Shalak Attack Mural

Location: The side of 530 Richmond St., near Augusta
Date taken: 26 August 2015

Looking back through past posts I was surprised to discover that this is only the second time this blog has featured a mural by Canadian-Chilean artist Shalak Attack. With her vibrant colours and themes of spirit animals and strong and interesting female faces, she's easily one of my favourite artists working in Toronto. This mural was part of a collaborative effort by 4 artists in the lane way next to 530 Richmond Street West.

Gordon Sinclair Lane

Location: runs between Sumach Street and Riverdale Park Road in Cabbagetown
Date photo taken: 25 October 2012

Toronto is criss-crossed with over 3000 lanes and just as neighbourhoods have their own identities, so too do their laneways. I love how this one looks in the fall, with the ivy and overhanging leaves turning brilliant colours. Several initiatives over the years have attempted to bring these spaces more into the community eye. The Name Your Lane project in 2006 encouraged people to turn these spaces into places. The Laneway Project takes it a step further, working to help communities activate and improve their lanes.

In 2008 the Cabbagetown Preservation Association sent a request to City Council to name 42 lanes in the area. Each name in some way reflected the history of the area. Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian media icon, was born on nearby Carlton Street. If you're interested in commemorating a person, event or thing through a lane name in your neighbourhood an application is available on the city's website, and the Laneway Project offers a how-to guide.