St. Enochs Square

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Mary C

St. Enochs Square, between Massey Hall and the back of the stores facing Yonge St., just south of Shuter St. (Toronto)

This mural was painted back in 2013 as part of a project to rejuvenate this alley. It was a collaboration between EGR and Elicser Elliott.

entrance to laneway, red brick building on the left (Massey Hall), mural painted on the wall on the right. Mural shows a woman & a boy blowing the seeds from white puffy dandelions.

entrance to St. Enochs Sq. on Shuter St.

A woman is holding an infant and a small child. Another child is clinging to her. A man is to her right and a girl is to her left. The infant is ugly and may not really be an infant but instead be a little roly poly old man... or a hybrid of the two

left side of the mural

a large black and white cat is looking at the viewer. It is wearing a little crown. Beside the cat is a boy in a blue and white striped shirt who is blowing the seeds off a puffy white dandelion.

blowing dandelions

panorama of the mural

Photos taken July 2014

Stornara – riding turtles and reading cats

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Mary C

Here are three more, of the MANY, murals found in Stornara Italy.

below: “Fly with me” by Alessandra Carloni, 2023. With a suitcase all packed and ready to go, heading out for adventures on a turtle.

below: A lazy, comfortable ride through a sea of red and blue in a mural by Nikro, aka Nicola Ciarallo, 2021

below: Erica II Cane (or Ericailcane), A distracted cat! And while the cat’s away, the mice will play. The mice have taken over! Don’t be a distracted cat!

Photos taken February 2024

Stornara – one corner, two women

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Mary C

Two more Stornara murals, both on the same building

one one side of a corner is a mural painted in 2020 of close up of a woman's face, wearing a brightly coloured covid mask and on the other side is a mural of a woman leaning out of a window, both in Stornara Italy

below: “Girl with a Pen” by Braga LastOne (or Braga Last1) 2019

mural on the side of a building of a woman leaning out of a window with a white curtain, holding a pen (that is in reality a drain pipe) and writing on the sidewalk, by French artist Braga Last one

below: By Francesca Babolin, art in the time of Covid.

mural painted in 2020 of close up of a woman's face, wearing a brightly coloured covid mask, painted by francesca babolin

Toto and friends

Posted on April 17, 2024 by Mary C

alley in old city part of Naples, stone pavement, motorbike, old murals on the wall, Toto Alley, Vico Toto, portraits of Antonio de Curtis, an actor from the 1950s and 1960s,

In the Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish Quarter) of Naples there is an alley, Vico Totò, with many portraits that pay tribute to Totò, the stage name of an Italian actor Antonio “Totò” De Curtis (1898-1967). There are several paintings of him in some of his acting roles; He appeared in 97 films in a career that spanned three decades. There are also some other actors represented here.

below: Only the top part remains – including his black bowler hat.

black and white mural, portrait of actor Toto in sunglasses at end of his nose, wearing black bowler, lower part of mural has been worn away

below: A couple stands in front of Davide Zeka’s painting ofTotò in the role of a priest.

a couple stands in front of a street art painting of an actor dressed as a Roman Catholic priest in a black and hat and white clerical collar

below: “Stu core analfabeta” This illiterate heart….

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below: Michele Wuk’s ‘Totò con la papalina’ where the words say “L’educazione non passa mai di moda” (Totò with the skullcap: “Education never goes out of style”),

mural in Naples, man's portrait, of Toto the actor, beside a clothes line with laundry, also text in Italian that says L’educazione non passa mai di moda

mural tributes to Italian actor Antonio de Curtis, or Toto, in an alley in the old part of Naples,

below: Human Hero aka Luca Carnevale, Nino Taranto, another actor, as the Flash, “Flash of Genius” says the text

portrait of a man with a mustache, he's wearing red top of the Flash outfit, on orange background

below: Toto as Superman on Porta Carrese Monte Calvapio (also Human Hero)

portrait of balding man in superman top and red cape, street sign for Porta Crrese Monte Calvapio, and a one way sign,

below: Lino Ozon’s ‘Lola’ which shows Totò dressed in drag to play Lolita in the 1962 film ‘Totofraffa’. In this movie he appears in many disguises.

two street art pieces, a black and white painting of a man in drag, a black line drawing of man in a black bowler hat but the face is lost, and stickers have been put there instead

below: Drawings of Toto along with Nini (Nino Taranto) and Peppi (Peppino de Felippo) by Giuseppe Avolio Peppart.

caricature drawings, paper paste up on an alley wall, of three older Italian actors, with stage names, Toto, Nini, and Peppi

below: Three more portraits, smaller this time, again of Toto and fellow actors. ‘Peppi” again, and then Giacomo Furia at the bottom.

three small portraits inserted into three of six wood panes in a grey door

below: Mr. Pencil’s ‘A matt’!!, depicting Totò as King with a bowler instead of a crown.

in a doorway, a painting of a man in a blue and gold robe

below: Totò even went to the Moon .. back in 1958! Brasiliano’s “Totò sulla Luna”

profile portrait of man with clear space helmet on

Naples alley, motorcycle, street art, laundry hanging from balconies, red umbrella,

below: Fishes Invasion sneaks in.

mural on alley wall, clown, also a paste up of fishes invasion in green

St Petes – more from Warehouse Arts District

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Mary C

below: Bright and cheerful, colours and smiley shapes, a work by Filipino-American artist JUJMO (aka Cheryl Weber)

below: “Are You My Mother?” by Carrie Jadus, painted in 2017 on the back of the Arts Xchange Building and seen from the Pinellas Trail. It was painted in coordination with the grand opening (“birth”) of the Arts Xchange.

a realistic looking one hundred dollar bill in American currency but with central picture being a fetus in the womb, all curled up, fetal position. Painted by Carrie Jadus and titled Are you my mother?

below: Two sides of a sidewalk box – from the SHINE 2019 corner canvas project, painted by Jenipher Chandley.

two sides of a box on a sidewalk, both painted with a picture, on one side is a woman and on the other is an insect

below (and above): An American flag with its red, white, and blue merges with a Cuban flag, also in red, white, and blue in a mural by Michel Mirabal. It is actually on 22nd Avenue, but backs onto the Pinellas Trail.

mural, two flags, american on the left and cuban on the right, that merge in the middle

below: For the 2021 SHINE Festival, Nicole Salgar’s “The Commuter”

mural by nicole salgar, woman's portrait, flowers, in reds and purples — From Salgar’s Instagram page: “In this piece, the muse is intended to be portrayed as a gatekeeper to other dimensions and realities. She is connecting with the viewer through her gaze, and behind her you can peer into her intimate space, which appears to be in the process of transformation. Her existence is one which flows throughout time without any boundaries. Time is represented in this piece through the changing shapes and fields of color. The structure to the far right, which is interacting with her physical form, is a portal that symbolizes the doorway into another dimension, or a parallel universe. This is a representation of the pathways we follow through transitions and transformations throughout our lives. Theories say that versions of our universe overlap, and even interact with one another on the quantum level, affecting our own universe. This piece is a loop which speaks to the idea of no beginnings or endings, just absolute continuity. The very concept of time is ultimately an illusion, created by humans to reconcile with our memories. Ultimately, this mural is a culmination of the feminine spirit of all things being tied together through reality, nature, dreams, space and time. A boundless energy which makes up the entire universe. “

This post is the third of three that feature street art in the Warehouse Arts District. The other two are: 1. At 24th Street and 5th Avenue South and
2. Pink Men on 5th

banners on light poles along a trail, for warehouse arts district

Photos taken March 2024

at 24th Street and 5th Avenue South

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Mary C

St. Petersburg, Florida

a stop sign is covered with graffiti stickers and slaps. Also, 2 green and white St. Petersburg street signs, one for 24th Street and one for 5th Avenue South

below: Pandas galore in “Laughing Giants” by Aaron (Woes) Martin, 2021

two white trucks parked in front of a mural with heads of many pandas, by Woes Martin,

close up of pandas heads in mural with title laughing giants

below: “We are all magic” with green eyes, unicorns, and a butterfly. Mural by Sarah G. Sheppard. This mural is actually on the same building as the mural that I showed in the last blog post here, Pink Men on 5th.

mural by sarah sheppard, eyes, butterfly, text that says we are all magic

close up of mural by sarah sheppard, eyes, butterfly, text that says we are all magic

below: “Temple of Eternal Bliss”, 2019, by Palehorse (aka Christopher Parks)

mural by palehorse, lines, two dragons, doorway, temple shape

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front of a low building covered with portraits and street art paintings of girls and women

mural with a large white question mark in a circle, surrounded by hundreds of smaller question marks

Photos taken March 2024

part of a mural, a gold coloured unicorn with one horn in middle of head

Nearby are other murals in the Warehouse Arts District. They can be seen in two other blog posts: 1. Pink Men on 5th and 2. St. Pete’s – more from the Warehouse District.

Pink Men on 5th

Posted on March 31, 2024 by Mary C

On 5th Ave South there is a large mural painted by Colombian artist GLEO for SHINE 2021 as a tribute to two men who were important to her. SHINE is the annual St. Petersburg Mural Festival. Unfortunately part of it is now hidden behind a large white container.

at the end of a parking lot in st petersburg, one black vehicle, one large white container, a mural with men's faces by gleo

Left side

part of a mural, a man balancing a large pink flower by the bottom of its stem, a large man's face

Middle

a large hand over a man's face, part of a large mural by gleo

part of a mural in st petersburg painted during shine festival in 2021

Right side

Photos taken March 2024

Paul Estrela Lane – then and now

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Mary C

Have a seat!
It’s another tour of laneway street art.

Today’s blog features Paul Estrela Lane which runs for one block on the northside of the Danforth ending at Woodbine Avenue. Some of the garages and fences have been painted with bright and cheerful murals. There are quite a few paintings considering the fact that the lane is only one block long. I first visited it in 2017 and most of these photos are from that time. I went back the other day to see if there were any changes….

below: A mural by mediah and the CBS crew.

below: Another contribution from the CBS crew but this time in collaboration with kanos, a French artist, from Paris. More of his work can be seen under ikanografik on instagram.

below: A warm summer day by the surf.

below: Toothy grins and googly eyes, coloured monster faces all squished together to completely cover the back of this building. It is the work of monicaonthemoon.

below: Listening to music as her orange and pink hair blows in the wind, by Kim

below: Marine life swimming in the laneway, an octopus with orange eyes looking at you, and what I think is a squid on the left. Painted by kittzen.

below: Wings, another mural by Monica Wickeler

below: The work of dajenesis aka Jeannie Priscila

below: More goofy faces

below: Japanese characters painted by Tokyo. Hint to street artists – if you want to be found, your moniker should be something that doesn’t bring up millions of unrelated hits on a search engine. Any ideas about what he might be saying?

Most of the above murals are still there – looking a little faded, or with small shrubs growing up in front of them. The remaining photos were taken in March 2024.

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below: A blue eyeless man and his cat with marvelous green eyes – the work of a mystery man, Victorful. This mural was here in 2017 but the painting to the right was a newer addition to the alley (photo from 2024).

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below: Children eating ice cream.
in a mural, a row of children eating ice cream cones

below: Another newer mural is this 2018 creation by Caitlin Taguibao

mural by Caitlin Taguibao, a woman with neck encased in green and black striped puffy thing, pupating maybe, surrounded by plants with blue leaves

below: This little blue boy is part of a larger mural that is on two sides of a corner of a building.

part of a mural, a boy painted in blues

a line of garages with graffiti and street art, Paul Estrela Lane in Toronto

Noire in Matera & Taranto

Posted on March 29, 2024 by Mary C

Noire, or Stencil Noire, is an artist who has left his mark on many Italian towns and cities including the southern cities of Matera and Taranto. This is some of his artwork that I saw while walking in those cities.

below: In the town of Matera – Game Over

below: featuring Michel Basquiat and his work

below: Make love not war on the left. And on the right, Rivolterei il Mondo come un Calzino (I would turn the world upside down like a sock)

below: Figli delle Stelle (Children of the stars) on the left.

below: Silence is complicity

stencil artist Noire work, paste up

below: On a wall in Taranto, a blue sphere that resembles the Earth, but with a child’s face looking back at you.

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below: Another “Rivolterei il Mondo come un Calzino (I would turn the world upside down like a sock)” but larger this time.

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below: This one is not a Noire creation but there is a similar feel (protest, anger) to it as well as a similar style to the drawing and design.

stencil , woman with one fist raised, paste up

Photos taken February 2024

downtown Clearwater

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Mary C

The previous blog post was about a large mural in Clearwater that was on the Pinellas (bike and walking) Trail as it passed the downtown area, “See yah later Alligator”. Slightly to the north of that alligator, but still on the trail, is this mural….

mural by illsol, large, blue background, bicycles, oranges, locomotive, about history, orange belt railway, now on the pinellas trail in clearwater

It was painted by Illsol, a husband and wife team of Michelle Sawyer and Tony Krol and is titled, “One hundred years before J. Cole”. In 1885 the Orange Belt Railway, a narrow-gauge railway, was opened. This was also the year that the bicycle (with the same design as modern bikes) went into production. Today, the Pinellas Trail runs along the route of the Orange Belt Railway. The reference to J. Cole is because of a song of his called ‘1985’ about change and history.

part of a large blue mural, painted by illsol, steam locomotive from the orange belt railway, some oranges, and some bikes

bike, in a mural by illsol, clearwater, palm tree trunk in front of it, muralsofclearwater,

below: “Ikebana”, a flower arrangement. The word ikebana is Japanese and it refers to a style of flower arranging. It was painted by DAAS.

mural with many colorful flowers in ikebana, japanese flower arrangement, painted by D A A S

large white flower in a mural by d a a s

below: “Elysian Days” by Cecilia Lueza, rainforest inspired colours and shapes.

swirls of colours, a mural by lueza, shades of greens that look like leaves, some pinks and oranges too

below: History at the corner of Garden and Cleveland.

right hand side of a mural showing part of clearwater in the past, old truck with sign on side that says Jewelers Baskets Salon,

part of mural showing history of clearwater, Garden Avenue, old cars, brick streets, some pedestrians, a row of stores, inclusing a restaurant

below: “Communidad” by Theic Camilo Nunez and Florencia Duran.

mural, larger than life size people, title is communidad, people are reaching out and touching their neighbours

below: “Avenue du Jardin” is quite faded (I’ve played with the colours and enhanced them a bit). The plaque on the wall says, “This mural is dedicated to the citizens of Clearwater in celebration of our history and our future.” It was originally painted in 2002 and then restored not too long ago by Ana Livingston.

below: United We Stand, signed by four artists: Maria Chang, Jennifer Vallieres, Miriam Vallieres, and Laurie Anopach,

patriotic mural, american flag, words united we stand, kids, firemen, police, medical people, community

below: A bit of colour on the sidewalk brought to you by the Clearwater Arts Alliance.

below: With drips and bubbles and great shades of blue, a tree by Candy Schultheis

Eyes on the Streets

and feets on the ground. Graffiti, street art and murals seen while wandering the streets and alleys of our colourful world.

St. Enochs Square

Stornara – riding turtles and reading cats

Stornara – one corner, two women

Toto and friends

St Petes – more from Warehouse Arts District

at 24th Street and 5th Avenue South

Pink Men on 5th

Paul Estrela Lane – then and now

Noire in Matera & Taranto

downtown Clearwater