Pigro

Location: Sculpture Garden, King & Church

Date photo taken: 29 October 2018

The current installation in the Sculpture Garden is an airy creation of sculpted metal and colourful lights, drawing inspiration from both wrought iron street fixtures like fences and lamp posts, and the colourful lights strung for festivals. According to the artist statement, it is a "playful reclining figure... [which] acknowledges the park as a place for rest and relaxation." I love that it brings a bit of light and colour to the darkness of winter in Toronto. It is by Toronto-based artist Tony Romano. 

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.

After Work is Guinness Time

Location: Leader Lane, between Wellington and King

Date photo taken: 28 February 2019

Located on quiet, narrow Leader Lane, this massive Guinness ad can catch you by surprise. Stumbling across it almost feels like finding an Easter egg. If you love it enough to want to carry it around with you, I noticed that someone is selling tote bags and other items featuring a snap of the wall.

Beach (2793 km)

Location: Toronto Scupture Garden, King & Church

Date photo taken: 4 March 2019

Earlier this week I was walking and scolding myself for not dressing warmly enough when I encountered this message. It stopped me in my tracks. It was created, as far as I could tell, out of simply ice and snow. If it had contained a QR code for a travel agency, I'd probably be on a plane right now. I wonder which beach I'd end up on? 

Traffic Signal Box - Succulent

Location: corner of Jarvis and Carlton
Date photo taken: 5 January 2019
Image #12 in the Traffic Signal Box Series

With spring flowers and outdoor greenery still several weeks away, here's a lovely succulent courtesy of self described art person and plant enthusiast Angelica Fernandes. If this box leaves you wanting more just pop across the street and check out the Arid House in Allan Gardens, home to a large display of unusual cacti and succulents.

Hatch

Location: Winchester Public School, Ontario Street

Date photo taken: 6 January 2019

This mother bird and chicks are part of a larger mosaic called Hatch, located on the west side of Winchester Public School. Designed by Anna Camilleri, it was created with the help of over 400 students and staff at the school and is one of five public art projects in the neighbourhood overseen by Red Dress Productions. If robins are a sure sign of warmer weather to come, I present these ones as a reminder that winter won't last forever. 

3 Mutual Street

Location: Mutual Street, just north of Queen

Date photo taken: 17 March 2013

This handsome building sits on the lower portion of Mutual Street in an area currently undergoing intense redevelopment. In 1973 it was added to the city's heritage register but, unlike the row houses just to the north, it has never been designated. An application has been submitted for a 35 storey condo development on this corner, but initial plans call for the partial retention of this building as well as some of the buildings around the corner on Queen. It will be interesting to see how the project develops.