Shades of Toronto Graffiti (Part 1 – Overview)

February 25, 2018 By Brett in Art, Ontario, Photography, Uncategorized Tags: Canada, Canadian, Cities, Graffiti, Inspiration, Painting, Street Art, Toronto, Urban Art 63 Comments

Toronto, being the big city that it is, has more than its share of diverse street or wall art, more commonly called graffiti. This isn’t every one’s cup of tea, but it’s hard to ignore the creative expression that goes into these highly stylized works.

Among the varieties to be found gracing the corner wall of an old building, on either side of the occasional alley way or wherever else you may find these quirky pieces are classic graffiti tags, the enigmatic or humorous character scenes, the images laden with social or political messages, and designs that are as much about vibrant colors as anything else. I took a lot of shots of these recently, so have broken them up with some being posted here and others planned for a later set of shared images.

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Similar Posts on O’Canada:

∅ Ossington Avenue Graffiti

∅ Montreal’s Vibrant Walls of Graffiti

∅ Wall Art a la Montreal

Go Fish!

January 7, 2018 By Brett in Art, Ontario, Photography Tags: Canada, Douglas Coupland, Fishing, Inspiration, Parks, Public Art, Sculpture, Toronto, Urban Art 43 Comments

During the week after Christmas Toronto’s temperature plummeted to a 57-year record low. Brrrrr! Bundled up tightly against such crazy wintery weather, the day was slightly brightened by coming across this group of colorful sculptures of fishing bobbins. Situated in Canoe Landing Park in the CityPlace neighborhood, these cheerful works were created by noted Vancouver artist Douglas Coupland. Elsewhere in the park there is an oversized sculpture of a red canoe (also by Coupland), in which park-goers can sit and look out across Gardiner Expressway toward nearby Lake Ontario. Clever and fun subject for sculptures and another great example of the vibrant public art that can be found throughout metro Toronto.

Halifax’s Manhole Covers

July 24, 2017 By Brett in Art, Nova Scotia, Photography Tags: Canada, Cities, Halifax, Industrial Design, Manhole Covers, Urban Art 37 Comments

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While recently running an errand in Halifax I snapped these manhole covers as examples of subtle industrial design. I didn’t notice as much variety among them as I’ve seen in other cities but that’s probably because I collected these so quickly. Still, there are a few distinctive examples to see, including one that’s a square cover formed by two triangles.

Similar posts on O’Canada:

⊗ Creativity Afoot: Toronto’s Varied Manhole Covers

⊕ Manhole Covers of Quebec City

Toronto Loves Public Art!

November 5, 2016 By Brett in Art, Ontario, Photography Tags: Canada, Canadian Art, Creativity, Inspiration, Modern Art, Public Art, Sculpture, Statues, Toronto, Urban Art 43 Comments

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“Large Two Forms” (1966 & 1969), Henry Moore

Toronto’s diversity is reflected in the wide array of public art, especially sculpture, that can be seen on block after block in its downtown core. Encounters with public art as we hustle from place to place provide moments for reflection and inspiration and help to remind us of our connections to deeper things and to one another.

These pieces from out and about merely scratch the surface of the city’s offerings. (I forgot to get the titles for a couple of these pieces.)

“Immigrant Family” (2007), Tom Otterness

“It” (2006), Michael Christian

“Anadyomene” (1983), Maryon Kantaroff

“Untitled” (2012), Jun Kaneko

“Megaptera (Great Wings)” (1993), George Schmerholz

“The Pasture” (1985), Joe Fafard

“Parent I” (1984), Barbara Hepworth

Urban Art: Bronze Cows in Toronto

March 22, 2015 By Brett in Art, Ontario, Photography Tags: Art, Canada, Cityscape, Cows, Mies van der Rohe, Ontario, Sculpture, Toronto, Urban Art 52 Comments

Art in urban settings is great to bring us out of ourselves and to refresh our minds. A wonderful example is artist Joe Fafard’s The Pasture, a group of bronze cows posed lazily resting in the bucolic setting of the Toronto-Dominion Centre office park (designed by Mies van der Rohe), is perfect for providing an unexpected feeling of being far away from the nearby hustle and bustle of the Financial District.

Stanley Park Totem Poles

September 14, 2013 By Brett in Art, British Columbia, History Tags: Art, Canada, Culture, Inspiration, Native American Art, Pacific Northwest Art, Photography, Stanley Park, Totem Poles, Urban Art, Vancouver 24 Comments

Chief Skedans Mortuary Pole, Stanley Park, Vancouver

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Stanley Park is a beautiful, peaceful greenspace on a sprawling peninsula in the heart of bustling Vancouver. The Park’s collection of native American totem poles is eye-catching and conjures marvelment and reverence at the creativity of the people of the Pacific Northwest that made these exquisite carvings.

In these photos from a trip there not long ago it was challenging to separate the poles from the surrounding trees so these don’t do justice to the majesty of these enduring artifacts.

Sky Chief Pole, Stanley Park, Vancouver

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Oscar Maltipi Pole, Stanley Park, Vancouver

Close Up, KAKASO’LAS Pole, Stanley Park, Vancouver

Close Up, Thunderbird House Totem Pole, Stanley Park, Vancouver

KAKASO’LAS Pole (in foreground), Stanley Park, Vancouver

Thunderbird House Totem Pole, Stanley Park, Vancouver

Close Up, Chief Wakas Pole, Stanley Park, Vancouver

Wall Art a la Montreal

May 17, 2013 By Brett in Art, Quebec Tags: Art, Canada, Cityscape, Graffiti, Jazz Saints, Montreal, Painting, Street Art, Urban Art, Wall Art 25 Comments

Jazz Saints

Quebec Month / Installment 11

Not long ago I posted some pics I took of graffiti in Montreal. Painted wall art is another form of creative expression that is different from graffiti, but sometimes in only subtle ways. I’m sure someone has worked out the technical distinction between such things, but however these art forms are categorized, Montreal is a rich showcase for a great deal of both (as well as other street art variants — such as kinetic art, elaborate light shows and light sculptures — that I could not readily capture).

Painted Cargo Container

Montreal’s Vibrant Walls of Graffiti

May 9, 2013 By Brett in Art, Quebec Tags: Art, Canada, Graffiti, Montreal, Photography, Street Art, Urban Art 6 Comments

Quebec Month / Installment 5

Wow! Montreal has a lot of amazingly cool graffiti — and not just the quickly dashed out monochromatic tag variety. In that city, wielders of spray paint have taken the graffiti form to a more vibrant, artistic level that brightens rather than blightens. Here are some of these artfully done works that caught my eye as I recently roamed the city’s streets.