This cool mural running alongside the Toronto Reference Library begins at Yonge Street, where it very clearly announces Sherlock Holmes Walk.
Jasmin Pannu
However, having had entered from an alley, it’s presented how I saw it, backwards.
Brian Jiang
Various artists worked on this terrific mural, which is coated in a weather proof clear plastic/acrylic. It also makes tagging cleanable.
Unfortunately, it’s like shooting in a mirror, as you can see from the cement tile walk, car, buildings, windows, etc. in the shot. Holmes’ head, above these, is actually a close up where my body blocked all light. Find it in the second slide?
Melika Saeeda
I did what I could to minimize the reflections: shooting on a very cloudy day, closing the aperture amap, shooting on angles and mini touch ups in post.
Bernice Lum
Adrian Hayles
This is one of my 2 faves. It’s actually a lighter sepia, but without closing the aperture, it was also a lovely shot of the library’s windows and denizens.
Keitha Keeshig-Tobia Biizindam
Heidi Berton
Fatspatrol (Fathima)
My other Fave
Stunning in real life. As you can see, like shooting in a mirror. Yet, in real life, you don’t notice all the reflecting.
Jeff Blackburn
Troy Pynn
Annwin Arts
Brent Hardisty
EGR
There were 2 more paintings by Poser and Old Hues, but they are very dark, and I just was not able to capture them decently.
Phade – Skam – Jetr
Pics taken by Resa – November 24, 2025
Toronto, Canada
The artists names are under the pics
AND
A shout out to MISTY the cat, whose name is an “ER” short of MYSTERY. Her human, Dave Astor on Literature writes “Short essays about novels and other fictional works”.
The exhibition began at The National Gallery in June 2023. In early June, 2026, after Toronto, it heads to Aix-en-Provence (France) until January 2027.
With Special Guest Matt Snyder
GEORGE
RINGO
JOHN
NO PAUL? Well, he’s behind the camera. NO selfies back then!
Resa – So Matt, what drew you into the Beatles? I seem to remember you saying you had watched the cartoons whenyou were a kid.
Matt – No, I’d say my first exposure to the Beatles was their Animated Film, The Yellow Submarine, which I caught shown on tv as a kid in the 70’s & 80’s.
Resa –Oh, the movie, not the cartoon series!
MATT– First off, I forgot about that cartoon. My Father-In-Law who is a huge Beatles fan raves about that cartoon.
Matt – Having been born in April of 1970 I sure didn’t catch Beatlemania while it happened. The animation is very quirky and reminiscent of the French Film Fantastic Planet. I love animation, I love musicals..put em together and ya got a fan.
Resa –Did you have a fave Beatle in those early days?
Photo by Astrid Kerchherr (1938 – 2020) 1962 – Ringo had just replaced Pete Best as drummer.
Matt – As a band I prefer them in the following order by favorite song:
Paul: Let it Be
Photo from when he was dating Jane Asher – At the Ashers – 1963
John: Nowhere Man
In Paris – 1964
Ringo: Yellow Submarine
Paris – 1964
George: Here Comes the Sun
Backstage at the London Paladium – 1964
Matt – Nowhere Man was the first 45 rpm single I bought when I was 12 in 1982 and began to immerse myself into artists from the 1960’s.
The Beatles pose with sculptures by artist David Wynn – Paris, 1964
Resa –Did you have a fave Beatle after they broke up?
Matt – I equally enjoyed the post- Beatles work of –
John Lennon: Nobody Told Me (I had this song on 45 rpm it was released post humously in 1984), Imagine, Instant Karma, Give Peace a Chance & Beautiful Boy
I was 10 when Lennon was assasinated and vividly recall all the news surrounding it on the tv.
Paul McCartney: The only McCartney LP I ever had was Give my regards to broad street having seen the film of the same name in 1984. Song wise My love & Silly Love Songs (Both with the band Wings), Ebony & Ivory (With Stevie Wonder)…
…The Girl is Mine & Say Say Say (Both with Michael Jackson), The Pipes of Peace, No more lonely nights, My brave face & FourFiveSeconds (With Rhianna & Kanye West)
Through the Limo’s Windows
Many of my fave pics were ones Paul took when they were in a limo, driving through cities.
New York City
Resa –So Matt, I feel somewhat nostalgic about the USA when I see theimages from NYC, Washington DC & Miami in the early 60’s. I’d like to know what you think of the America Paul captured.
Matt – Commercialized
Washington
The following images from Washington and Miami are some of Paul’s personal favourites.
Christine Keeler (1942-2017) An escort embroiled in major political scandal in 1963
Matt – Grimy, Easy & Willing, Stark
Miami
Resa –This police officer was one of many escorting The Beatles in an open top car transporting them from the airport to Miami Beach.I’m fascinated by this shot.
“It was slightly shocking for us to see a gun in real life, as we didn’t have armed police officers back home.” -Paul McCartney
Arriving at The Deauville Beach Beach Resort in Miami Beach, was a crowd of hundreds.
Matt – Fear, Fascination, Overwhelming.
From the Train
Train is my fave mode of travel. I adore what one sees from the coach. I find these pics fascinating.
Matt – The Working Class, perhaps reminiscent of home.
Pics of Paul by Others
Reading the Toronto Star on the plane to Montreal.
Seems he liked reading newspapers. The pic below was taken by his brother, Mike McCartney in 1960.
Miami – Colour Film and R&R
At some point during the stay in Miami, Paul switched to colour film.
Before Paul switched to colour film, there were some black and white Miami shots.
Cynthia Lennon, John’s wife at the time
Matt – I will say that photo of Cynthia Lennon definitely captures loneliness in contrast to the fun being captured in colour.
Resa – Interesting comment, Matt. I have to think it was an unnerving experience for her, to see all of the unbridled attention aimed at her husband. A “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” moment.
Presentation
Some of Paul’s photos were made larger than life. As I walked into the rooms, I felt immersed in Beatlemania.Their appearances on Ed Sullivan ran on a loop.
Fans, press and police await The Beatles’ arrival at the Plaza Hotel. (taken from limo) Hotel staff were “horrified by all the hullabaloo” – Paul McCartney
Resa – Matt, would you please compose a Cento Poem of lines from Beatles songs from that 1960-1969 era? Your choice of songs & lines.
Matt – All the songs from 1960-1962 are cover songs. I am only taking original compositions from their albums released. I used lines from the following songs to compose this cento:
And I love her, Eight days a week, You’ve got to hide your love away, Nowhere man, Eleanor Rigby, With a little help from my friends, A day in the life, Happiness us a warm gun, Golden Slumbers, Carry that weight, I’ve got a feeling & Let it be.
OBSESSION
(A Cento by: Matt Snyder)
A love like ours
Could never die
As long as I
Have you near me
Guess you know
It’s true
Hope you need
my love babe,
Just like I need you.
…How can I even try?
I can never win
Hearing them,
Seeing them,
In the state
I’m in
“Nowhere man, The world is at your command”
All the lonely
– people
Where do they all
come from?
Does it worry you
to be alone?
How do I feel
by the end of the day?
A crowd of people stood and stared
I need a fix
‘cause I’m going down
Down to the pits
that I left uptown
Sleep,
pretty darling
Do not cry
Boy,
You’re gonna
Carry that
Weight
Carry
that weight
A long time
Everybody had a hard year..
Everybody had a good time
Everybody had a wet dream
Everybody saw the … …….
…And when the
broken hearted people
Living in the world
agree ?
There will be
an answer…
Pics inline blow up if clicked
BackstageA Promo with all but Ringo’s face in shadowRear seat in LimoThe day they went to Central Park, George had tonsillitis.Christmas show – London Dec. – Jan. 1963-64A personal fave of mine
Resa – I love your Beatles Cento!
There was lots of memorabilia, as well as pics of other celebrities they worked with or met along the way and people who worked for them. All in all, a fascinating experience.
From when they wrote I Wanna Hold Your Hand
THANK YOU, MATT!
Resa –It’s been great having you here today!
Matt – Always a pleasure to collaborate with you Resa. I kinda hope this exhibit travels to any of the museums my wife & I frequent in Pennsylvania, New Jersey & Delaware.
Resa –I hope so, too! You will love it!I did see it listed on line a few weeks ago, as going to Philadelphia, but now I can’t find it.
POSTSCRIPT: Shey adds in her comment – “my home city, Dundee, is recognized as the place where the term Beatlemania was coined after a concert at the Caird Hall there where seats got torn up and eardrums did too by the screaming frenzy of the fans.”
April Showers paints her beauties in the worst spots.
This one was at a truck rental parking place. Yes, I almost got stuck squeezing through.
Of all the graf tagged onto the wall, all I wanted was the April Showers face. The best I could do in a 2 foot slot was some demented up angles and truck window reflections.
And now, I am squeezing through from here, until middle/late April. This is my last post until then.
But, I will be visiting when I can.
Not sure who this artist is.
It’s a fine mess.
It’s because I got involved in an ART SHOW. YAY!
So, like April Showers, I’ll be sharing my beauties, but in a nice place.
But if I could, I would have a fashion show in an alley filled with graffiti.
Jennifer models VELVET TANGO
There’s nothing like finding beauty in the roughest places; like Velvet Tango, the Art Gown I made for Holly House of Heart in a tagged up alley.
April Showers will bring art & flowers, and I’ll have lots to share with you!
Of the plethora, I’m mostly super excited to share the show of Paul McCartney’s amateur pics from 1963-64.
Our blog pal MATT is going to be on board for that!
There’s pics Paul took of the other Beatles, of America through the limo & train windows and some colour shots from Miami.
The show was SPLASHTACULAR!
There were also a few old professional promo shots.
Check out this Spectacular Mandala by Graham Stephen ofMandala Vihara!
Mandala – a geometric figure representing the universe in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism.
Vihara – a Buddhist monastery and place of religious education.
For many years I have been a fan of Graham’s mandala art. Every so often on my art hunts, I’ll find something that is not a full mandala, but mandala-ish, and I think of Graham.
It was upon finding this mandala-ish paste-up with eyes in the centre, that I considered a mandala theme post, and dedicating it to Graham.
Better, why not involve him?
I asked, he agreed and said “Looking forward to seeing your collection of street mandalishes + 1 gowndala.”
Wait until you see this “Gowndala”!
Mandala-ishes Collection
We chat with Graham as the collection is shown.
Resa – What drew you into making your gorgeous mandalas?
Graham – The intricately beautiful sand mandalas created by Tibetan Buddhist monks have long fascinated me. After spending days laboriously creating those wonderful designs, with great non-attachment the monks sweep away the sand in an act symbolic of Impermanence.
Resa – That is of keen interest to me, as the ephemerality of street art is what drives me to it.
Graham – So, about seven years ago when I happened to come across some mandalas online created from digital photographs, the thought arose that that could be a fun thing to try. The best part turned out to be being able to lose yourself in the creative process.
Graham – That applying orders of rotational symmetry to various real-life scenes of nature, architecture, and so on, should give rise to such an endless variety of outcomes is also rather satisfying. And then there is the aspect of pareidolia — it can be fun looking for unexpected forms such as faces created by the new alignments of the rearranged slices of reality.
Graham – Digital mandalas may seem to be more durable than their Tibetan sand counterparts, but at some stage they too will, inevitably, be long forgotten. At another level, and as with any image on the web, their existence is only fleeting — being reborn each time the page is viewed and then dissolving back into emptiness when the viewer clicks away…
Resa – You pair quotes with your mandalas.Are the quotes you pair with your mandalas inspired by the mandala? ie: you have the mandala then search for a quote that works, OR do you have a quote and then are inspired to make the mandala to go with it?
Graham – Actually, neither! This part of the process is surrendered to chance. When it comes to drafting a post, the mandala just gets paired up with the next unused item from my collection of quotes. Sometimes they complement each other, sometimes they contrast, and at other times there may seem to be no apparent connection — the unpredictability of the random juxtaposition is a bit of fun, with echoes of the “cut-up” technique of Dadaism.
Resa – Oooo, I love that!
Resa – Do you purposely take a photo of something because it will make a fab mandala?
Graham – Rarely. In practice I tend to review all the shots afterwards when editing a series of photographs and select one or two of any that might be suitable.
I began looking for mandala-ishes everywhere, indoors and outdoors.
I have unfortunately been visiting a friend at the Toronto General Hospital over the last couple of weeks. In the hallway is a Mosaic Mural made from 10,000 tabs, lids, pins, levers, screws and connectors collected over 28 years by nurse Tilda Shalof.
Within the mosaic are several mandala-ishes . Those, and information on the mosaic can be seen in the slide show above. Below is the entire piece.
Très ishmandala-ish
Colour Swirl – Acrylic on Canvas – 1968
The above work of art by Gordon Rayner was hanging in a random hallway, in a converted warehouse/factory filled with artsy retailers.
The Most Beautiful Mandala … Ever!
Lilac Fan Dance is Thunder’s (aka Dale) dedicated Art Gown.
Thinking the texture and colours would make a cool Mandala, I sent 3 pics of her to Graham.
He chose the first one saying,
Graham – “as that one had a nice bit of plain background to the left to create a bit of negative space around the result.”
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