Treeftsteeg

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Mary C

There are a number of lanes and passageways that connect the canals/roads Singel and Herengracht in central Amsterdam. One of the narrowest of them is Treeftsteeg.

below: Entrance to the alley, from Herengracht.

Various messages and symbols of peace – “I Love Kherson”, a girl waving a large Ukranian flag, “Love no War” (Love not war?), a white dove with wings of blue and gold, “Love makes a house a home”. In addition (under the word Kherson) there is a portrait of George Yurri Shevelov (1908-2002). His CV is long but in general he is most known for his research proving that the Ukrainian language has a separate history from Russian.

below: The portrait of the man in the top left corner is of Taras Shevchenko (1814 – 1861), a famous Ukrainian poet. Moving right, the woman at the top with the orange background is the former Queen of the Netherlands, Queen Beatrix. Third from the left is Ukrainian writer and feminist Lesya Ukrainka whose work spanned the late 1800s and early 1900s. On the right side there is an image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy although it is not the clearest picture.

anti war, pro Ukraine graffiti in an alley

below: Commemorating the sinking of the Moskva, a Russian ship in the Black Sea near the beginning of the war.

below: arrow showing the way to Kharkiv

below: caricatures

below: The narrowness of Treeftsteeg. Along with the pro-Ukraine messages, there are a few black and white portraits.

bicycles parked and leaning against walls in a very narrow alley

below: These portraits are part of “A Paper Monument to the Paperless” is an ongoing project headed by Dutch artist Domenique Himmelsbach de Vries.

portraits, posters on an alley wall, part of A Paper Monument to the Paperless, a project by Domenique Himmelsbach de Vries

along rue Oberkampf

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Mary C

Rue Oberkampf is in the 11th arrondissement in Paris.

below: Tall pink mural by Francis Essoua, (aka Enfant Précoce)

below: A mix of little scenes, thunder and lightning, twins in red, pictures in a gallery,

below: Horse, by BONOM aka Vincent Glowinski

below: There were two little quick sketch portraits in red and yellow, possibly by LUIS?

below: A squashed spray paint can, a NEXT (nextmosaic) pedestrian crossing mosaic, and an orange and purple skull.

below: More little things, mostly paper this time – white dove of peace on the mailbox and two larger pieces beside, both by Corine Forest

below: These stencils were on a building at the corner of rue Oberkampf and rue Camille Crespin du Gast in the 11th.

below: A Kraken (aka Lou Daho) octopus, swims past as an orange cat or tiger jumps down.

below: “Telemaqueland” by Hervé Télémaque, was painted in 2000 along with eleven other large murals in Paris as part of a project “the walls of the year 2000” (les murs de l’an 2000).

below: Like many Paris streets, there is an Invader mosaic high up on a wall.

Photos taken March 2023

Senor Schnu hangs out in Aachen

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Mary C

Meet Senor Schnu – you’ll know him by his black mustache, his brown stick body, and the bite out of his head. This half eaten popsicle is the creation of Philip Wallisfurth. He has his own Instagram page.

painting of a large senor schnu character, red popsicle on brown stick, with bite taken out of its head, large black curly mustache, smiling face

below: Spreading Schnumunism like Chinese propaganda

sticker, senor schnu

below: A large paper paste-up of a rainbow flavored Senor Schnu hovers above the owl.

below: A kiss for the big guy
yellow senor schnu being kissed by a comic character, male, in the snow

below: Snowy, Tintin’s little white wire fox terrior, is carrying this Senor Schnu in its mouth – running off to have adventures?

two small stickers on a metal pole. On the top, a black bird on purple background, on bottom, Snowy the dog has Senor schnu in its mouth

below: Senor Schnu, a wanted criminal in a Dick Tracey cartoon.

three black and white stickers on a pole.

The German word for mustache is schnurbartt
Photos taken October 2023

little men on paper

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Mary C

In a few places around New York City there are stickers and paste-ups featuring stikman in his various forms.

stickers and graffiti on a red metal box on a sidewalk, including a multi coloured stickman in oinkm bklue, green, and brown and a round sticker with blue square on black and a reddish stikman like shape, also a small square sticker with a face on it, also a sticker in red and white with word yerrrrr

This little piece has a combination of the more traditional flat stikman in blue and yellow, along with a more three dimensional version.

sticker with a 3 D stikman walking on a yellow and blue sphere with stikman shapes on it

A three mannequin salute using photos of posed little wood mannequins

photo of group of three little wood mannequins posed in a salute, looking down from above

And last, a little mannequin down on one knee and with feathery white angel wings.

graffiti featuring little wood mannequin on one knee, with white feathered angel wings

crossing the Williamsburg Bridge

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Mary C

between Manhattan and Williamsburg, over the East River

crossing the Williamsburg bridge, with pinkish red metal railings and girders, pedestrian walkway is beside and slightly above road and subway lines.

A little yellow dinosaur trying to look fierce as he growls at your feet.

I’m happy you’re here, keep going!

I crave you

Shy white cat says meow

Homesick and Lucky Star writ large on a grey wall. The American flag image below them is made using painted car doors.

view from williamsburg bridge, buildings, one with graffiti street art on it

It’s just love in a rainbow of colours.

… and love is gold

Pacman wears a gold crown, king of the streets

Looking down at Williamsburg streets including a mural with two faces and two flowers.

Blackface pink walker

Reaching out in peace and love

Stencil by go4tart aka GOAT, rat on a scooter; a rat loves NYC

Seek Discomfort

Sold out art show yellow face with three pairs of eyes.

I wonder what Jane’s reaction was?

….. Maybe this is Jane ?!

on the railing – mask? and master?

Kiss me

More words on love

… but in the end, the virus gets you.

Photos taken August 2023

Chasing Dreams

Posted on September 3, 2023 by Mary C

“Don’t come to New York City to chase your DREAMS If you can’t walk fast. “

Seen on a New York City sidewalk, August 2023

Rouen graffiti tunnel

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Mary C

below: Railway bridge over rue Rouen. One side is being repainted.

looking down rue Rouen in Montreal towards railway bridge, people painting the walls under the bridge

below: Diamond shine bright in my all consuming light. Let every goal glow. Very recently painted by Indiana Brierly.

street art painting under a railway bridge in blues and greens

below: One side of the bridge was being repainted this morning.

a man is using a roller brush to paint over graffiti on a wall

below: He’s ready to paint…. by Sino ( or Sino Duc)

below: A white happy three eyed fish swimming among the scribbles.

graffiti on a wall including a funny looking three eyed fish

below: A curly haired woman, or an old lady with a cane, and a monkey face. It looks like someone has a roller ready to paint over this section of wall…

below: Hummingbird and calla lily, by Judith Boily Valois.

below: Too cool dragon wearing blue shades and a jacket with the Montreal Expos logo on it. It’s been almost 20 years since the Expos played in Montreal.

Photos taken 23 July 2023

near Alexander & Clinton, Rochester

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Mary C

below: The courtyard behind Boulder Coffee Co. at the corner of Alexander and South Clinton is decorated with street art murals.

large brick building with a courtyard patio in the back, tables for coffee shop, walls of building with a couple of murals on them

below: A closer look at the masked horse and its rider.

below: “Andy and the Big Dead Waltz” by Caitlin Yarsky, 2014

below: A cow of many colours,

below: This black and white mural was painted by Ian Kuali’i, a Hawaiian artist, as part of Wall Therapy 2022 (Wall Therapy is the Rochester Mural Festival). It is on the same building as the cow in the above photo.

below: The next three images feature the campground on the wall of the Rochester Beer Park. RV’s, trailers, and campers of all vintages.

a van is parked in front of Rochester Beer Park with its's campground mural on the wall, WInnebago, vintage campers and trailers are parked there, motorcycles, old station wagon, camp chairs set up by a table

two chairs and a table outside a vintage camper with its door open to show yellow interior

old yellow station wagon with wood grain side trim is parked in front of a grey RV and an old Volkswagen camper with the top popped up

below: This large mural with a very large spider was painted by Nani Chacon and is titled “Visions”. It is painted on the wall of Strangebird Brewery.

Large mural on the side of Strangebird Brewery of a woman with red lipstick and long dark hair, wearing a blue drop ear ring, holding her hand out for a large blue spider

Close up of blue spider on woman's hand, very long fingernails. Spider is blue with striped legs and small red and white dots on its back

below: Change taught me graffiti along with the Black Tabby party “The revolution will not be televised”

below: A small portrait in faded blacks

white sticker with black and grey young man portrait

below: A red, white, and blue butterfly on a pole. A single tear shape falls from the eye on her central wing. A red heart and red lips add colour to her other wings.

below: This rather grotesque character seems to have a life ring around his middle but he’s disintegrating just the same. Food supplied by Snack Shack.

below: Stickers on a yellow sign. Careful! That chicken’s got its eye on you.

below: He or she is a floating, encased in an uncomfortable metal scuba outfit. Humpty Dumpty got tired of sitting on his wall and went for a swim? Tweedledee sank and Tweedledum is looking for him? Or, going back in time, one of those chubby round little people from Fisher Price escaped from the playroom many years ago and has been bobbing around in the ocean ever since. Or?

below: A certain arrangement of paint and stickers

below: No room for Fascism. The Nazi-headed snake has been caught.

below: Approaching Gold, along with a horned animal and an advert for the Abilene bar and lounge.

Photos taken in May 2023.

South Avenue scenes

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Mary C

Murals and graffiti seen along South Ave in Rochester.

South Avenue in Rochester New York, older brick buildings

below: Conor Harrington Untitled (Fight Club Series)

black and white mural by Conor Harrington of two men fighting, a bit of red blood

below: Floating in a pink sky over a sea of imaginary snakes and fish

mural of a person reclining in a cloud in a pink sky hovering over a sea of snakes and fishes

below: “You’re a Shining Star no matter who you are”. A jar full of shiny positivity by local artist Shawn Dunwoody.

street art mural, on yellow brick wall, a large mason jar with words shining star on it, text on mural says you're a shining star no matter who you are

below: A group of flowers with faces as their centers.

mural on wall, flowers with many petals and each flower has a face in the center

below: Maladjusted Mike is stuck on a pole. Apparently he’s from Seriously Disgusting Comics.

below: No room for Fascism

below: A pink Neptune-like sea creature ruling over his underwater worlds, by Bile, 2013

below: Part of Nova’s shapes and colours.

below: “LIFE in abundance comes only through great LOVE”

below: Whirls and swirls of colour in an abstract painting by Mike Ming, 2013

below: A fox and bunny by Mr. PVRT aka Justin Suarez

below: Adam Francey’s fantastic detailed mural with birds and faces and a couple of words – seek, understand.

below: “Big brother is watching you and he’s bored”.

below: Avocado face, by Stefan Fella

below: Walking white teddy bear

below: The old and the new – root beer and birds.

below: A large egret? (or shorebird of one kind or another) and frog. Do egrets eat frogs?

on the side of a store, a large mural of a stork and a green frog

sculptures on te sidewalk on south ave in rochester

Photos taken May 2023

waiting for the rain to pass

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Mary C

I found myself stuck for a few minutes without an umbrella when the rain started. Luckily there was space under the arch at the entrance to Passage de la Bonne Graine

Two women waiting under a stone arch in a rain storm. One has a red jacket and a red push bag while the other is a grey haired lady with an umbrella. A man is walking by on the street

below: A little portrait by Sohan Street above a torn and defaced group photo of four men. The latter is signed in the bottom corner as Docteur something but because the paper is ripped, the rest of the name is lost.