between West Lodge and Lansdowne

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Mary C

In Toronto, running west off of West Lodge Ave., there is an alley behind Queen Street West on the north side. The upper part of this long, low building was painted blue a number of years ago. Since then it has been tagged and used as a place to spray, stick, or paste graffiti.

below: T-bonez from Urban Ninja Squadron practises yoga positions.

below: A bright red door that has unfortunately been scrawled on. Beside it is a black figure that seems to be diving backwards while holding a bunch of colourful balloons.

below: Once it was a pink cat with green whiskers

below: Holding tight to that red rose.

Continuing west towards Lansdowne ….

below: Faces in the alley, with a bit too much gold

below: Chubby cheeks and big fat lips…. and how many eyes?

below: Faces, many faces with their eyes closed and their hair swirling around. Mural painted by Carol Ann Apilado

below: “Tell me its all going to be okay? Not sure if I can do that buddy…..

below: Patterns and shapes on fence, by Hello Kirsten

below: Enough! Although once upon a time it said more than that…..

Familia Santana

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Mary C

In the 1960s, Josefina and Jose Santana migrated from Jalisco Mexico to the San Francisco Bay area. Both of their sons, Carlos and Jorge, became famous musicians. Carlos Santana is world famous for his guitar playing; Jorge played with a Latin-rock bank, Malo.

Large 60 foot mural in Mission District celebrating the Santana family,

Large 60 foot mural in Mission District celebrating the Santana family, including parents Josefina and Jose Santana

On Osage Street by the 24th and Mission Street BART Plaza there is now a 60 foot mural celebrating the family’s contribution to the music scene. The mural also shows Carlos’ son Salvador on the keyboard.

Large 60 foot mural in Mission District celebrating the Santana family, a guitar playing Carlos Santana

Large 60 foot mural in Mission District celebrating the Santana family,

“La Familia Santana” was painted in 2021 by San Francisco artists Crayone and Mark Bode. It incorporated sketch designs provided by Randolph Bowes and Jorge Santana.

small part of Large 60 foot mural in Mission District celebrating the Santana family, Carlos Santana's hand playing a guitar

Photos taken February 2025

Mission District – Osage Lane

Posted on March 21, 2025 by Mary C

There are many pop culture references to be found in this lane!

below: Animal from the Muppets

below: A row of cartoon characters on a bright red fence – Bart Simpson, Hello Kitty, Speedy Gonzales, Pokemon, and what looks like a giant green pickle.

below: Rapheal from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

below: South American influences

below: mmm

below: Mama Imelda from the movie “Coco”

below: Sonic

below: California Love

below: “All thru California …

below: … Mission be Kracking, a recent painting by H2DAK about surviving fires and earthquakes!below: Money flies at 2982

below: Bird sticker. Bird, May 1984 – July 2021

below: More stickers – Cheers!

Mission District – Lilac Street

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Mary C

The Mission District in San Francisco is full of street art of all types from messy graffiti to fabulous murals. Back in February I had the opportunity to walk around the area with my camera. This is the first of many posts that should result from my walks.

houses on either side of entrance to Lilac Street, Mission District, San Francisco, two storey clapboard houses, with mural on the side of one of them

The first sign that Lilac Street might be an interesting street to wander down is this San Francisco mural on the side of a house.

mural featuring golden gate bridge, text says San Francisco

below: Mother with a child looking over her shoulder

black and white shades of grey mural of mother and child, mother's back is shown, child looking over her shoulder

below: Norm on a black garage

four large letters painted on a black garage door, N O R and M. Spells norm

below: A portrait in blue.

mural on a garage door, woman's portrait in blue

below: A tribute to Sharon Jacobs (1982-2019).

woman's portrait on a garage door

below: Anti Skateboarding Hero.

torn sticker, or paste up, on a utility pole, text says anti skateboarding hero, pole is painted black and red with graffiti

below: Higher up, a purple rhino and a yellow bird by chilovia – a pair of South Americans, Pancho Pescador and Pablo (aka Raiz)

below: Contrasts – the empty, graffiti covered old building beside the newer redevelopment. A common urban theme found in most cities as they age and re-new.

abandoned building with vacant lot in front, behind a fence, building is covered with graffiti

below: A wish for peace in Palestine.

palestine protest street art mural of woman with two fingers raised in peace symbol

below: This street certainly has its scruffy and neglected looking sections. In small doses, streets like this have their charm, especially from a photogenic perspective.

chainlink fence

below: Walking past number 133, frowning and grumpy.

man, street art, many colours, at number 133

below: There is a strong resemblance here to Olaf from “Frozen” – but this guy looks a little more deranged….

crazy Olaf from Frozen

below: Praying

street art mural of a woman praying, wearing green shawl that also covers her head, garbage bins in front of the mural

below: Dancers, front of the house.

bent nail in wood utility pole, spray painted pole in blues and green, graffiti gate painted with bright colours, with metal grille in front of it

Photos taken February 2025

near Balaclava train station

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Mary C

below: On the corner of Nelson and Carlisle streets, near Balaclava station in St. Kilda East.

below: Black panther roaring with mouth open wide, fangs and teeth ready….

below: The railway crosses over Carlisle street at the north end of Balaclava station

below: Praying. Painted by Pawtl

below: Two women hanging out with a white rabbit and a white cat, by Deb.

below: Come Alive Melbourne

below: A rainbow lorikeet

below: Owls by the door

below: More owls

below: Continuing the bird theme – a very old and weathered stencil of a pigeon

below: Another oldie, a paste-up of many people. One person in a red and white striped shirt, holding a toddler. A girl with long hair wearing a checkered red and white dress; she’s holding something like a brown box in her hands. Beside her is a girl who is wearing a white top and a blue skirt. Who else can you see?

The next few pictures are a selection of paintings on the upper level of some of the stores on Carlisle.

below: Dana’s Patisserie

below: Many hands

below: Flowers and faces

below: “TAKE” or perhaps “TAK E” above a painting beside the walkway to Balaclava station, southbound trains.

below: On the platform, Balaclava station, “Shake was here”

below: Gradients in blue and orange cover the ground floor level of a new development beside the station – seen from the station platform.

below: Also seen from the platform, street art on the back of a building by the tracks.

below: Raise a steaming cup to the coffee culture that is strong here in Melbourne! Cheers!

Photos taken March 2025

words on a pole

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Mary C

There is a pole, or pipe (downspout?) in Baptist Place, Melbourne, that is covered with many little drawings. They are all slogans or phrases written using music scores as a paper source. I am not sure what songs were used (or if that has any relevance?) but the lyrics are written at least two languages. At the top is “Eat the Rich” .

on a pole, or pipe, in an alley, covered with pasteups, paper, posters, that are words written artistically on old music scores

below: Next comes “Resist”. I was curious about what song was in the background, so I checked google translate – “qui quae-runt” is Latin for “those who run”.
paste up with the word resists written in large letters aver music score

below: … and then “Riots not Diets”
riots not diets are the words written on this paste up

below: “Mad Pride”

mad pride, text in artwork, on pasteup

below: “Alt Right Delete”, but now the lyrics are in English and include “the water” and “somersaults”

alt right delete text in artwork on paste up

below: “Fat so?” with more lyrics like “averte mala” and “tu a disperde”

fat so? is the question asked here

below: “Cats Rule” in bright colours.

cats rule, text in many colours, paste up

below: The bottom paste-up has the number 13 written above the number 12. Is this a hint as to who the artist is?

the number 13 above the number 12

Photos taken February 2025

skateboard portraits

Posted on January 23, 2025 by Mary C

Toronto’s Graffiti Alley is still an interesting place to explore. Unlike some street art locations that have succumbed to the scrawls and tags of the less well-intentioned, good art and ideas can still be found here. At present, adding to the eclectic nature of the graffiti in Graffiti Alley are a few interesting portraits done on half skateboards (or at least on wood in the shape of a skateboard). All are screwed onto wooden utility poles.

below: One on natural wood colour and the other in vibrant red. The sticker says Positive Creations.

below: A man with a mustache

below: Three on the same pole in Graffiti Alley – A red person with shaggy hair and light blue glasses as well someone with very long orange hair.

below: At the bottom, a quizzical look on a pink face.

Photos taken January 2025

infamy and instagram

Posted on January 22, 2025 by Mary C

While we were in Montreal, a number of these posters, or paste ups, appeared. They were part of MuralFest, a street art and mural festival that was happening at the time. Although I recognized some of the people who were pictured, there are a couple that I wasn’t sure of. Here are six that I saw (none of which had any ‘instagram likes’):

larger than life black and white picture with the instagram heart symbol on orange background for number of likes for that picture

Kim Jong-Il of North Korea on a graffiti wall

Joseph Stalin on the side of an old wood building

larger than life black and white picture with the instagram heart symbol on orange background for number of likes for that picture and

someone in a helmet…. any ideas? Mussolini?

Adolf Hitler high up on a brick wall

Japanese? guy on a poster covered wall

another person who I think I should know, but I don’t

******

Photos taken in the summer of 2014

abandoned site, Baldwin & Spadina

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Mary C

There once was a building on the southwest corner of Spadina Ave and Baldwin (Toronto). That building is long gone but the hoardings around the vacant lot have become a home for graffiti. Although advertising posters sometimes take over some of the space, there is often new graffiti too.

This is what was there in January 2025.

below: The Last Laugh by Nigel Smith.

below: Paste-ups on plywood. On the left – a City Kitty character in big pink frame glasses (and what’s that on his head?!). Small black and white pasteups include Visual Noise with Urban Ninja Squadron.

below: WOW! He is not dead yet. Live! Let Live!

below: Two pieces by Bao aka (Bao Pham) who seems to like to mix cultural icons that aren’t usually associated with each other.

below: “Fab Four Troopers” Quebec highway sign

below: “Return of the Boom Bap Trooper”

below: A woman’s portrait among the advertisements.

below: “Frida Moss”, A Frida Kahlo and Kate Moss mash-up, also by Bao

below: A green catchoo looking atch you

below: Ouch! Another Urban Ninja Squadron paste-up, this one in collaboration with Dio Tha Dog.
\Photos taken January 2025

Photos taken January 2025
This post also appears in As I Walk Toronto blog

walking around Bari

Posted on January 14, 2025 by Mary C

….. looking for (and finding!) graffiti and interesting bits of street art.

There were a few pieces by artist Blub who has used well known faces of famous figures or images from art history and placed them underwater wearing a diving mask. These are part of his series, “L’Arte Sa Nuotare” (underwater art)

below: Little angel

street art by blub, his underwater series, famous little angel with arms crossed in front of him, now blue and wearing diving mask

below: The Madonna. In some versions she is with baby Jesus who has been cut out of this image (as you can see the bubbles floating upward from his mask even though he is not in this picture)

street art by blub, his underwater series, famous woman's face now blue and wearing diving mask, virgin mary, or the madonna

Taken from Gustav Klimt’s, “The Kiss”, the kissing couple are now underwater too.

Another artist with a presence in Bari is LeDieSis and her/their Superwomen series

below: Barbie’s been shopping. She’s winking at you.

street art by LeDieSis, image of Barbie wearing blue dress with superman symbol

below: Pink and purple and another wink. Does she realize that someone is looking over her shoulder?

in pink and purple tones, street art by LeDieSis, woman with hair tied back, and superman symbol on front of t shirt

below: Another winking superwoman. I suspect that the official looking notice has been taped over her Superman symbol.

graffiti by LeDieSis, blond woman, other graffiti around her

below: The Virgin Mary is also in Bari, also winking, as she carries her baby daughter

below: Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo superwoman graffiti by LeDieSis

below: “Gals are as strong as hell” by unknown artist.

sticker that says gals are strong as hell

Mopsi, by so schoen immer wieder, can be seen in many European cities including Bari. He (she?) usually has something to say.

below: Equality has no gender. The black scrawl covers the word “no” which can totally change the message if you’re not looking closely.

below: Rizek (aka Kris Rizek)

I saw two small female figues by Miss Quark

below: One woman bares it all

graffiti sticker of a naked woman with back turned and arms covering breasts, bare bum,

below: And the other has flowing red hair and colourful wings.

There were also Gu Tang Clan posters on the walls in Bari.

Zooming in to highlight some of the stickers – a blue shark in pink waters, a flaming sandal, and Ind–? Jam?.

And last, a selection of work by “Unknown Artists”

There are two large paste up figures in black and white which may or may not be by the same artist. The top one is Mona Lisa is a man’s suit. She’s been leaning on this wall since at least 2019 so although she’s looking a little rough, she’s doing well for her age.