So, it’s the fence that’s old, and it makes the wolf look old.
The slats are warped and uneven.
The entire fence slants to one side along the alley.
The alley itself is uneven, slopes downward so minimally I didn’t know I was crooked until looking through the camera lens.
The wood is rotting.
The paint is chipped, peeling and punctured.
I just love it!
Pics taken by Resa – March 4, 2024
Toronto, Canada
The Artist(s) There are 2 marks on the art.
From Queen Push Push at home,
To a Queen in the jungle,
To a fondant kitten,
… to a scream in the jungle,
Robbie’s cats take on a deeper meaning – the knowledge, respect and caring of all wildlife.
She has photographed, videoed, written story books & poetry, painted, blogged and fondanted her message into the world and into my heart.
Time to shine a star!
The idea to spotlight Robbie’s work began with a post I did on GLAM that featured street art with kittens. (click on the pic below to see the post)
Robbie was then inspired to respond with fondant kittens.
This is my response.
Robbie lives in South Africa and has access to seeing its wildlife. The following shots (& more) of hers are available for free at UNSPLASH ROBBIE CHEADLE
I have read many of her children’s books. Her books teach and have taught me, an adult. In “Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five” I learned about the Big Five in Africa.
Do you know who the “Big Five” are?
Well, they are the “Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Rhino & Buffalo”. I found these videos on Robbie’s YouTube channel. They are only seconds long, so have a watch!
* Note: I couldn’t find a leopard video, so the Cheetahs are filling in.
Robbie’s YouTube Channel is a creative depot, with readings, recipes and animals. There are also videos of monkeys, birds, giraffes, waterbucks, hippos, kudu, zebras, wild dogs, insects and more.
Robbie writes with her son Michael Cheadle, who shares her love of nature and desire to help protect it. I haven’t read “Neema the Misfit Giraffe”, but am bound to.
A prolific creator, she will have another book out before I post this. “Square Peg in a Round Hole: Poetry, Art & Creativity”
You can find her books on Amazon sites around the globe. Just search “Robbie Cheadle” for children and youth books – “Roberta Eaton Cheadle” for adult books.
Some of her books are also available on KOBO.
Visit Robbie on her blogs:
Roberta Writes and Robbies Inspiration
Finally, flowers don’t scream. However her photos of them, like this Magnolia, sure do.
All photos and videos © Robbie Cheadle (aka Roberta Eaton Cheadle)
Not sure how old this mural is. The colours are still quite bright, but it is chipped and peeling like crazy. It’s fab.
“Woman can have mustache”. That’s what it appears to say over the top lip.
“Love is Us” over one of the eyes.
“blow it” is between the eyes and over the nose.
It took a bit of time and scrutiny to figure out “Beauty of Imperfection”
Of course there was some wood trash in the way when I found it.
So I moved it, then replaced it when finished. The text over the trash was a tad challenging to figure.
“Sometimes you have to Be a Lion So you Can Be The Lamb you are “
Pics taken by Resa – March 4, 2024
Toronto, Canada
The Artist:
The lettering Artist:
Not sure if it’s “Love” over the other eye?
A mural for the coming spring.
I travelled across the city to Greek Town.
I found 5 works of art worth posting, 2 ruined by the sun’s shadows, 1 for just in case and 1 WTF.
All in all a fabulous day!
The day was made even better by the wonderful vibes, shops, restaurant patios and people in Greek Town.
I would definitely consider moving there when we eventually downsize. It’s a beautiful lifestyle.
Pics taken by Resa – March 4, 2024
Toronto, Canada
The Artists:
This truly unique and fascinating collection of sculptures has caught my imagination.
It’s found in the temporary space of John B. Aird Gallery, housed in the Artscape building at 906 Queen W. during renovations of its home at MacDonald block.
Artist Adrienne Trent (pictured below) says, “the focus of installation work is not usually about sales, unless to a museum”.
Therefore she is able to project her mind’s eye without the yoke of commerciality. Hers is an honest exposé of “art for art’s sake”.
About 2 years ago, photos of Adrienne’s art was fed into an AI program. It came up with the image you see below. She decided to create an actual sculptural collection based on what she saw.
Below is the result. So, a reflection is added to the mirror of art imitating life and/or life imitating art : Art – imitating artificial intelligence imitating art imitating life that is possibly life imitating art, ad infinitum.
Adrienne created the sculptures using gesso plaster and old curtains from The Goodwill.
When I asked Adrienne how she came up with the title “Burdens”; she replied that she was at home when asked, on the spot, for the working title. She looked around her home, and answered “Burdens”.
Although not raised in the house she bought as an adult, it had been in her family for 6 generations. This has kept her reticent to fully renovate the original heritage. That respect was a burden. The name stuck.
John B. Aird Gallery is one of the few avant garde galleries to show in Toronto. For me it was a breath of fresh air, after strolling through certain posh downtown galleries where there’s seemingly a second coming of Andy Warhol, and commercialized street art on canvas.
The collection of 4 at the rear of the room is sustainable art from an earlier show. I love this. Some of the items include:
An old used easel, baskets, snowshoe, baseball mitt, license plate, violin, muffin tin, plaster head, rusty can, broken chair, wheel of sorts and is that a paper cup?
The show runs until March 23, 2024. Go on a Saturday, and Adrienne will be there to talk with.
Photos (except for poster) © Resa McConaghy
I had no idea Cohen was such a tortured soul. Thank you to Holly for the insightful tribute to this one-of-a-kind poet, writer and musician.
March 8 is International Women’s Day.
Looking around the globe, especially beyond Europe, Canada and the U.S.A., a day seems a token.
“What is the color of International women’s Day 2024?
“The colours associated with International Women’s Day are purple, green, and white, each carrying symbolic significance. Purple represents justice and dignity, while green symbolizes hope. White, although a contentious concept, signifies purity.”
Emmiline and Christabel Parkhurst of the UK changed purple to violet to fit the slogan “Give Women the Vote,” Women would wear these colours, as a secret language. Peridots, emeralds, pearls, diamonds, amethysts, and garnets were worn. Jewelry with chains & bars denoted she had been to jail for the cause.
I made the above “Message in a Bracelet” in 2014, a precursor to celebrate 100 years of women voting. I’m also now calling it my “International Woman’s Day Bracelet“
Graffiti Lux Art & More 
You must be logged in to post a comment.