covering a yellow door

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Mary C

In Melbourne’s Baptist Place there is/was a collection of stickers and paste-ups by a very international group of artists.

below: This is the door as seen in February 2025. It may look different now!

A closer look at some of the stickers and paste-ups……

below: Mama yellow rubber ducky and her four little ones with lots of balloons – and one little ducky is wearing black swim goggles. These yellow adventurers can be found in lots of places, especially in France which is the home of their creator, Canards Vagabonds aka Sylvie Gennerat.

canards, yellow duckies, mama duck with four little ones, one has a black pair of swim goggles on, 4 bunches of balloons too

below: A Wonder Woman figure by Little Meh as well as a DJ Gumba dude holding 2 black balloons. One of the balloons says “pretty cool”. On the right, is that man really carrying a very large carrot?

stickers and slaps on a door, one is DJ Gumba with two black balloons, one is a wonder woman figure by little meh, and one is a man in a plaid shirt carrying a very large carrot also a sticker with just text that reads helping animals doesn't need to be that hard

below: A grey possum with a little pink nose and a curvy tail under “Back rolls not gender roles”.

below: A collection of slaps by a variety of artists. There are two Breaking Bad yellow Lego men. The skateboarder with the black and white flowery hair is the work of Drecks. At the very bottom, a Tweet cat face with blue David Bowie style lightning bolts and a droopy eyed guy by American artist The Dtore (aka Dave)

below: One very pink eyed cat and a couple of red capped mushroom people. The latter is the work of My Cute Creatures (Creaturi Dragute) – Mama Mushroom and her little mushroom tyke.

below: Now ET can call home whenever he wants. In the bottom right corner is a tiny sticker by Vootsak aka Camille. The green eye with the tears but under a rainbow was created by Apparan. Leave no one behind.

below: A grey cat has found a handy perch atop the head of a ginger man with beard and mustache (by Stoeyes)

below: A white bird takes flight.

below: Some Australian animals – a white ibis (by Tweet) and a kangaroo with a white rabbit in its pouch. The latter is a collaboration between Maens_hh, a German artist who draws characters like the white rabbit, and Eppendorfs_finest, an artist who often draws/paints/showcases a dog called Lounis.

below: Another collection of slaps, stickers and paste ups including T-bonez of the urban ninja squadron, a common sight around Toronto. TRP613 Sailor Dude is wearing an Australia T-shirt but now has the Tweet cat face.

stickers and paste ups including tweet cat, urban ninja squadron, sailor dude with an australian shirt on, and others

below: Monstrous! Now Trp613 (a Canadian from Ottawa) Sailor Dude seems to have turned green but that’s okay by MIC (Maid in Cologne). Sailor Dude may be green but that woman beside him is very red! (by Zelda Bomba from France)

Sailor Dude as a greenmonster, graffiti, Zelda bomba bright red woman's head with blue hair

below: A monster party! … With bunches of sunflowers and plenty of balloons, by Tweet

monster party graffiti by tweet, frankenstein, all with balloons

below: “Body size is morally neutral”, “Protect queer kids”, “My cat thinks you should vote yes to the voice”. “Read books and dismantle [illegible] oppression.”

below: “Think!”, “Open your mind” and “Mutual aid is an evolutionary advantage.” Cupid’s got you in his line of sight – so beware of the balloons!

below: “Read boos. Be kind. Stay weird.” as well as a sleeping good vibes cat and a seahorse with a bouquet of tulips and balloons. Like many of the animal graffiti created by Industrie Tarte, this seahorse, or lippocampe, comes comes ready to divide into sections – filet, plat de cotes, bavette, flanchet – which are all cuts of meat. . The exact same pasteup was seen in Paris in 2023 (trust, live, love, all on a Paris wall).

below: Hey cool, it’s a balloon burger with bones…. but that dog doesn’t look too impressed by it all.

below: Almost life-sized Tweet cat with a fistful of balloons.

below: What big eyes you’ve got!

below: A bright rd crab with big claws beside a prickly echidna playing with balloons. And dancing figures, le petite peuple de l’ombre, with even more balloons (by Wall-Lilo)

big red crab, graffiti paste ups, balloons, floating people, and an echidna

below: Masked smoker with Batman ears?

Photos taken February 2025

Caledonia Lane – San Fran

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Mary C

….another Mission District lane with street art.

below: A black and white smiling cat with very big paws hangs out on a crazy colored garage door in the lane. Painting by Michael Kershnar.

abstract black and white cat in a mural with other geometric shapes and colours

below: A mural by Elle covers the entire side of a building.

door covered with graffiti street art mural

below: Be Cool … Look after each other, but also beware of the dog!

below: Someone loves Shannon

below: Did you know that Donald Trump is a rapist?

below: That’s a lot of words….

below: … and even more words

part of street art mural with bright coloured houses but lots of dead and bleeding bodies

below: King Topa 4ever

urban art in Caledonia Lane, San Francisco, with text that says King Topa 4 ever

street sign for Caledonia Lane, in San Francisco

Photos taken February 2025

Chatham history

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Mary C

There are 2 older murals in Chatham Ontario that depict some scenes from yesteryear. The first is at least 25 years old and shows a line of stores and businesses. Even the upper windows are part of the artwork. Just this week (mid June 2025) it was announced that a new mural would be painted here this summer. I have just discovered that there is a video on Facebook of this old mural being dismantled and removed. I must have been in Chatham the day before it was removed!

So…. for a limited time only, here it is (in two images)

below: People enjoying meal at the Savoy cafe while others are tempted by the desserts on display in the window.

history of Chatham mural, older, peeling and faded a bit, a line of businesses, including the Savoy Cafe

below: Also in the row of businesses is Heintzman & Co Pianos, Lyons Tailoring, and Thomas Stone & Son (clothing?). People mingle on the street and a car drives past.

history of Chatham mural, older, peeling and faded a bit, a line of businesses, including Heintzman Pianos and Lyons Tailoring.

below: Ladies checking out what’s on display at the tailors, window shopping.

history of Chatham mural, older, peeling and faded a bit, a line of businesses, two women looking in the window of Lyons tailoring where a woman is adjusting a dress on a headless mannequin. A man about to get on a bike is also in the picture

below: A girl plays a tune on a Heintzman piano while a family out for a drive, passes by.

The Historic Downtown Chatham Business Improvement Area (BIA) have chosen a design for a new mural that was created by local artist Ruth Ann Pearce. Apparently history will still be part of the theme but beyond that, a surprise awaits!

The second mural is newer but was painted by the same artist as the one above, C. Penelope Duchesne. Help was provided by Nancy Foulis, Bonnie Cernenac, Shannon Lindsay, Amy Maynard, Terry Nelmes, and John Reimer.

The mural is in three parts – on both the right and left side is a market scene.

part of a mural by Penelope Duchesne of a market scene from early in the 1900s

part of a mural by Penelope Duchesne of a market scene from early in the 1900s, a white chicken in a cage, a bunch of sunflowers

“The old town hall at north end of the market, 1905” The central panel of the mural features the old Town Hall which was built in the 1850s. The market stretched out behind it. The city sold it in the 1950s; it was demolished some thirty years later.

painting of the old Chatham Town Hall, a large brick building, in a mural

First 2025 visit to Graffiti Alley, Toronto

Posted on January 27, 2025 by Mary C

My previous post, skateboard portraits was from a walk down Graffiti Alley in Toronto the other day. This post contains more photos that I took that snowy afternoon… so, let’s take a look!

below: Uber 5000’s yellow bird is still walking his dog and singing a song on this side of this red brick building. It’s at least 10 years old? The black and grey portrait on the right is much newer.

below: Profile portrait by TheHalfDecent

below: “Let them drink beer”, a stencil from D. Terra featuring Ontario Premier Doug Ford whose biggest “win” in the province is bringing alcohol sales to convenience stores and gas stations…. at a massive cost.

below: A 33wallflower33 pasteup in the foreground, with a corner of one of Nick Sweetman’s bird murals in the background.

below: A collaboration between Nick Sweetman and Shanehuss produced this drippy, melting jaw portrait.

below: The top portion of ” RIP King Reign & Son of Soul” remains. This tribute mural was painted by Elicser Elliott and Omen514. I am not sure who is responsible for the newer painting on the bottom, the one in yellows and blues. That’s probably a ‘signature’ in the bottom left but I don’t recognize it.

below: Graffiti Alley in the snow.

below: Sun of Aquarius (aka Andre Mandela Lopez) painted this naked figure with brown wings and bird mask

below: A pole covered with knit squares while T-bonez is shushing you.

below: A pointy nosed, long snouted dog by Mr. Myl, aka Luis Casas, who was originally from Havana Cuba.

below: Another Mr. Myl dog, this one with its blue eyes popping out. I don’t think that it’s because of the woman next to him. “Para mi Tita” is Spanish for “For my aunt”.

below: Blue haired woman by April Showers

below: And another blue haired woman…..

below: … and a third. I think that I see a trend. Methinks April Showers likes blue hair.

below: An anti-camera, anti-photographer image, “Gimmy a break, clik, clik, clik” featuring uber 5000’s yellow bird and blue cat, with the Pink Panther is a supporting role. Love the red specs!

below: Poser bunny in red

below: He (she?) seems puzzled by the snow?!

below: Is it a man or is it a chicken? A red headed cigarette smoking, spray painting character by Tuffytats

below: This one looks more like a chicken should look, so fowl.

below: An environmental message – “Got mercury?” from a non-profit group trying to raise awareness of the impact of mercury poisoning on indigenous communities.

below: Good Luck!

below: Another 33wallflower33 vintage woman.

below: Chubby purple cheeks gives a thumbs up

below: Still reaching out and trying to touch someone…..

Photos taken January 2025

Link

Looking back 10 years ago …..

Aires Libres and Outdoor Street Sales along Rue Sainte- Catherine, Montreal, on a sunny Sunday afternoon. There were many booths with different styles of art for sale. I stopped at a few of them.

Zepol Art, Marie-Pier Lopes (instagram page)

Denial Art (instagram page)

***

.

.

***

and things that weren’t art!

Photos taken in the summer of 2014. I am in the process of removing the street art pages that were on my Toronto blog.

Utopia and smiling faces

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Mary C

trees on sidewalk beside mural on a wall, by Toni Espinar titled the big lie, triptych of consciousness

On Via Regina Margherit in Stornara there is a large mural by Toni Espinar. It’s title is: “La gran mentira” (Triptico de la Consciencia) which translates to “The Big Lie (Triptych of Consciousness). Triptych refers to the fact that the mural is in three sections/scenes, each under its own arch. The arches resemble stonework found in church architecture.

The first frame is dominated by large purple creatures with big white teeth and shiny red eyes. Green biohazard symbols are in their mouths. A gargoyle-like human head with eyes closed is at the top of the arch.

Under the word “Utopia” is a very pregnant man with a tattoo that says “Respect” on his tummy. On his shoulder is another tattoo that combines the symbols for male and female. He is looking skyward, or perhaps heavenward. Is there a comparison to Christ that can be made here? Is there a resemblance to how the face of Jesus is often portrayed?

hairy gremlins with big ears and impish grins, and happy faces, in a mural

Tiger mom seems to push little tiger son into the boxing ring. The white words above the gremlins say “La grande bugia” which can also translate to “the big lie”. Across the top of the arch it says “cambiare mondo, non follia ma giustizia”, or “change the world, not madness but justice”

part of mural, La gran mentira (Triptico de la Consciencia)

The chest tattoo is a winged red heart with the equation e=mc2, Einstein’s theory of relativity. There is also a series of keyholes on his chest.

On the far right of the mural, a school of green fish swim together.

Photos taken February 2024

mountain villages, mural village

Posted on November 26, 2024 by Mary C

Ihwa-dong is a neighbourhood, built on a hill (Mount Naksan) in Seoul. Some of the houses are literally built into the city walls. Because of its hilly nature, it is often referred to as a mountain village. In 2006 as a cultural project there was an effort to transform this relatively poor section of the city into an artistic landmark by adding public art – especially murals. Seventy artists were involved. The area became a tourist destination. It was also saved from demolition and redevelopment.

In 2016 the residents petitioned to have the art removed as they did not like the increase in tourist traffic. The local government didn’t do anything so some of the residents painted over a few of the more popular murals. There are also reports of murals being painted over in 2023 … or residents adding their own art

painting on a wall, I love seoul where the love is a red heart

below: A woman walks down (very down!) a street in Ihwa-dong

below: A small neighbourhood behind a fence. Bright red shutters.

a small street art mural on the front of a house, image is a collection of houses, streets, and fences

below: Girl with a red balloon at number 69.

street art painting, a girl in black stencil, holds the string of a red balloon

below: Little puppy dogs and a friendly kitten by the hedge

street art mural, green background like grass or a leafy hedge, 3 little dogs and a cat. one of the dogs has a long stem rose between its teeth

below: Toucan and monkeys. The black car is blocking the shiny green car but he doesn’t seem to mind.

mural on a wall, three black and white monkeys, and a large toucan with a bright beak. a car is parked in front of the mural and is blocking part of it. Also in mural, a man is getting out of a car

below: Watching time, but it’s always ten past two; watching each other but seeing nothing.

two street art paintings in black and white, on the right is an analogue clock with hands pointing to time that is 2:10. on the left are two men with binoculars, looking at each other up closely so that the ends of the binoculars touch

below: Motorcycle parcel delivery (although on closer inspection, it might be a trailer load of cardboard for recycling)

street art mural, a man in a low back motorcycle that is pulling a trailer loaded with parcels

below: A great place to see views of Seoul…. but there are a lot of stairs!

below: Up a narrow street (no not street, just stairs), more paintings on the walls

below: Doorway conversation

below: Square head sitting with a woman with very, very long red hair

below: Fish by the door of the shop

… fish on the wall

orange and white carp painted on blue wall

… and fish kissing teapots.

a real teapot hangs beside a painting of a fish that looks like the fish is going to kiss the teapot

below: A tired old faded bear sits by the road

a very large stuffed teddy bear is sitting in a rocking chair on the sidewalk beside a house. bear is weathered and faded.

below: Looking down to the layer below where people are sitting outside Espresso Bar Odeoksae Coffee. They are joined by a few silent people on the walls. To the left, two camels have wandered into the scene.

people sitting outside coffee shop, street art on walls of odeoksae coffee shop

below: Rainbow stripes and some silhouette figures that look they belong in Alice in Wonderland – a trumpet blowing rabbit and the queen of hearts.

wall is painted in rainbow stripes in the front, and in pale blue in the back. on the back are three figures in black silhouette with red hearts

below: Slouching past with his mind on other things far away….

mural of a young man walking past a brick building

below: Yellow shirts and flowers

mural on a wall of a man in yellow shirt and black pants, and sandals, standing there

below: This is Son Heung-min who is the captain of the Tottenham Hotspurs as well the South Korea national team.

street art painting of a soccer, football, player, with words super son number 7, white jersey,

below: Off to the shops with her bright red purse and blue shopping bag

street art painting on a wall, woman in blue skirt, carrying red purse, and pulling blue shopping cart

below: People on the boat, fish swimming under it.

Photos taken September 2024

downtown Worcester

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Mary C

below: Wrdsmth – “This is my palette. A mere twenty-six deep, yet the possibilities are infinite.” … Plus his typewriter that appears in all his graffiti and street art. The mural also credits PowWow Worcester which was an annual arts festival (for a few years prior to 2021) that was responsible for bringing a number of murals to the city.

below: A tower of women, by Marka27, aka Victor Quinonez, 2016, a very vertical mural on the side of the parking garage at Federal Plaza.

below: A painting by Christina Angelina, another parking garage mural at Federal Plaza

below: Another mural that was painted during a PowWow Worcester is this cartoon-like painting by Greg Mike (2016).

below: Jason Eatherly’s trucks parked beside the old brick building.

below: One of the first murals painted in Worcester is this now slightly faded creation by Caleb Neelon

below: Calligraphy type design, part of a larger mural by Imagine, aka Sneha Shresta.

below: At the YWCA, two young girls in shades of blue on a red background.

below: Keep on smiling!

Photos taken July 2024

There were also murals by Damien Mitchell (below) and Insane that I saw in downtown Worcester but they have already been featured in a prior blog post, (Insane + One)

*****

animals on the walls of Montreal

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Mary C

below: “Siamoises” – What looks like twin cats in red dresses is actually a row of identical kitties, but the spotlight is on those two. A mural by Mono Sourcil, aka Maxlie Martel.

mural on a red brick wall in Montreal, circle, night with moon in the sky, two identical cats standing, wearing identical red dresses

below: SBU One’s red rooster, or red chicken.

below: Designed by ANYO – squirrels with different coloured hats. I have only shown two, red and turquoise, but there are many more out there….. how many have you seen?!

graffiti sticker on metal, a squirrel wearing a red hat

below: Giraffes

below: A wish for peace and love, amor et paix, for Ukraine.

yellow and blue background, a white dove with word paix which is french for peace

yellow and blue background, three white dovess with word amor and paix which is french for love and peace

below: A small portion of a large mural by Pantonio showing two of the many birds in the mural – a large bluish black bird and a cute little purple and white bird.

part of a larger mural by Pantonio,two birds, one is small purple, and white, the other is larger a blackbird

below: “Mechanic Bird” by Dede Bandaid & Nitzan Mintz, with text: “Of my dozens of keys, the smallest one opens home”

black and white mural on side of brick building, a bird with large wings

below: This rendition of Daffy Duck is the work of Simon Beaulieu – throwup “text” says Simple.

below: Dog (wolf?) with laser eyes.

below: It’s an animal, right? The blue creature on the left. It was painted by Cryote and the whole panel was a collaboration with Labrona and Waxhead.

below: Buzzzzzz……

little yellow bee with open wings, graffiti

Photos taken September 2024

Graphite details on paper

Posted on May 24, 2024 by Mary C

Hannging on walls in Seville. by Adolfo Arenas Alonso. Scenes in run down rooms with peeling wallpaper. Once grand but now not so much. Religious icons and figures in paintings and sculptures look down on the human characters. Characters that either impossibly skinny or overweight. Crosses on the walls. Indolent. Slovenly. A macabre sense of place and time verging on the profane.

below: The Matador and the Insolents