Thank you Lauren for thinking of me and taking these fab shots of beauty for me!
It’s a wonderful feeling to be thought of!
This gorgeous wall painting was taken by Lauren at Baydreamer Writes in late October, when out at a Mexican restaurant. I love it!
I also love Cora’s Quest (her first children’s book) and King Copper, Ever So Gently and More Than Coffee(fine poetry collections). Head to her site for the links to grab one of these gift-able books!
I’ve done reviews of all of her books. Just put the title into the “Search” engine not too far down the sidebar, and go to it.
MONA OF KENSINGTON
“This iconic Kensington Market mural is finally complete — 43 years after it was painted on a dare.”
She’s miserably hard to shoot up high and through wires, but she’s always been there. With her wonky eyes, she was there on my first shopping trip to Kensington.
When I started collecting street art, I did take pics of her. However, she was crumbling & in b&w. This summer the original artist returned and finished her. Here’s an article about it!
Faces in Waiting
The first stunning multi-colour face was on a Magic Mushrooms shop.
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This second face is on a shipping container used as a shop. A row of these container businesses line the Dundas West Skateboard Park “DUNBAT”
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The third face was on a restaurant in Yorkville in 2020. It’s gone now.
THE VIOLINIST
I’d love to learn to paint white on black!
WOW! Watch Lindsey dress during the performance. Stunning!
“Any moron can destroy, let’s create!” – Trent P. McDonald
That is a quote from our email exchange on September 18, 2025. We were working on a collaboration: his new song, some street art and a chat.
From Trent’s description on Youtube – The rainbow can mean whatever you want, but it is not about “Gay Pride” or anything, unless that fits you personally. I just think of rainbows as being the opposite of boxes.
We couldn’t quite settle on any of the samples I sent. Then I found a quadriptych in an alley in Cabbagetown. The colours were perfect for the rainbow he was using in his video.
Trent – I really love the dancers! I followed the link you sent and also the link that they have, to more info about the mural. It is all great.
Resa – It sounds like we should go with the Dancers. I’ve been thinking about it, too, and it does fit with your song and vice versa.
Trent – There is the freedom of the styles – from the kid’s drawings of buildings to the Matisse inspired abstract dancers, The color palette is great. It is very dynamic; the sense of movement is fantastic – not being boxed in at all! Free expression.
Trent – I am not sure if you want to get into the music nerd side of it, but some questions can centre around the time being in 7-4, 6-4 and 5-4 while most pop/rock music is 4-4 with a very occasional 3-4 (waltz-like).
Moving Elevation is the official title
Resa – The quadriptych was painted indoors on canvas. They were coated and moved outdoors onto an alley wall of a dance school.
Trent – There is a lot to be said about street art vs “traditional” art. It is interesting to have “indoor street art”.
Resa – I was thinking that, too!
Children worked with the artists and created the backgrounds.
Citadel & Companie is the dance company that commissioned this quadriptych.
Part of their program offers dance lessons to children.
“It is lit from the blue sky above, even if the sky is covered in clouds.”
The above words are Trent’s, from one of our mails. We were talking about why a pic he took, of a drawing of a trumpet he had done, tuned blue.
That sentence applies to much more than just a photograph. I see it as a philosophic metaphor. Music, in Trent’s life, was always a light from above.
Trent – “For the most part I try to be a very positive person – i.e., my Weekly Smile. Although I have written some “protest” songs lately and will continue to do so, I want to do it from a positive angle.”
Ghosts
The last panel of the quadriptych seemed somewhat apart from the other 3, because of the figures. My initial thoughts were of dancing ghosts.They now haunt.
Fiyero, one of his dogs had just died.
Trent – And thanks, Resa. Even though I drove down to the Cape yesterday so should be in a “happy place,” I’ll admit I am a little depressed today.
Resa – Take it easy out there, and be careful. We are not at our sharpest when grieving, or even just blue.
Trent – Some could be an after effect of losing Fiyero – Some could be just going from being on 100% of the time to being off. I have had some stomach issues that have nothing to do with stress that isn’t helping. The news and what is happening in my country is catching up to me as I sit here.
I suggested posting on the 16th of October, or just after. That would give us time to finish the Q&A!
Trent – Oh, the date sounds good. I will be off line from the afternoon of October 9 until maybe the morning of October 13. The 16th is perfect.
Resa -Write me tomorrow, or anytime! It doesn’t have to be about the post. Anything you want to say is okay by me.
Music Maker
Trent and I found our palship because of music. Oddly, inasmuch as we both love music and had a special spot for John Lennon, it was equipment, the hardware that instigated out first chats.
As my hubs is a musician/composer/producer, I’ve watched music equipment come and go: evolve from analog to digital, from the McLeyvier (ahead of its time & developed by a friend of ours) to the Synclavier (of which Trent had one).
Trent – Hi Resa, So, I decided to go ahead and do the cover of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.” I just sketched it all out in a notation program (writing the notes, etc.) and have started to play around with it on the guitar. I changed keys again from what I do with my instructor to make the guitar part easier. I bumped it a little higher, but still not what CCR did – John Fogerty had a very high voice!
Anyway, thought you’d be interested to know that I am doing this. Most likely I will record over the weekend and put it out early next week.
This is what would have been our 5th post together. If you’d like to see the other 4, just click on the banner below. Trent did the drawing of John Lennon.
Pics taken by Resa – September 18, 2025
Toronto, Canada
The Artists:
& the children
Click on the children dancing on the left to go to Eden Remme Watt’s website
Click on the guy dancing by the CN Tower, (on the left), to read about Rebecca Remme.
What a beautiful and hectic city Toronto is. You feel it in the slideshow!
And they picked the best bird to name their Baseball team after.
Hey, look! It’s a José Bautista mural!
José Bautista
2008 – 2017
Famous for “The Bat Flip” Bautista was a 6 time all-star, with 288 homers across 10 seasons with Toronto. Click on the pic below to read what the CBC has to say!
He rejoined the Blue Jays on August 11, 2023 for 1 day and retired a Blue Jay.
Commissioned by The Toronto Blue Jays, Bautista attended the unveiling of this massive mural with his family.
You can see its gargantuaness in the pic to the left, by comparing to the teeny people in the lower right corner.
He even signed it, in gold paint!
This was not an easy mural to capture. Still, after I found a way over the fence and into the construction site, I shot lots, and got some good ones. A few more are in the slideshow.
This close up of a coach makes me laugh. Can you see why?
Bautista, one of the Blue Jay’s Gems!
“We must be painted on a time travel garage door.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I see Cito Gaston!”
Cito Gaston
Gaston was the Blue Jays coach when Joe Carter hit the winning home run in the 1993 World Series. The Blue Jays won the title for 2 years in a row. (1992 & 1993) I always say they kept it for a 3rd year in 1994. That was the year of the big baseball strike, and there was noWorld Series.
My wings are waving the Jays on to victory, and my tail shows I’m a fan!
Walking along Queen Street, through a door thrown open to the world, this appeared on a wall.
Looking in, I asked & was granted permission to photograph it for my blog.
The yellowness on 1 side is due to an incandescent light bulb.
Magically, the woman transcends into a wolf.
Love
Are indigenous women allowed to wear the headdress?
Times Are Changing
Tammy Cook-Searson, chief of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, received her headdress as a gift from the community.
Derek Nepinak, Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs says: “At some point, indigenous people need to sit down and have a discussion about the headdress, and have that discussion openly, under the light of day, amongst all of our people,”
Click on Tammy Cook-Searson’s image to read the full CBC article.
A wall behind had another wonderful image.
Pics taken by Resa – August 25, 2025
Toronto, Canada
The artist: Upon inquiry, I was told “One of the guys that works here.”
The colours pierced my side vision from a half block away.
I should have known, even before I got to the door that it was painted by…
…tattoo artist extraordinaire, The Half Decent.
Just another piece of alley art I had to TEAR myself away from.
In real life, it appears black, white, red and silver. The pics weren’t capturing this, so I tried a slower shutter speed, which made the rest too, dark. Below is the comparison.
Normal shutter speed on the left. Slowest I can get on iPhone on the right.
Pano setting created a bluish overtone.
Pics taken by Resa – September 21, 2025
Toronto, Canada
The Artist:
The above fab song, Tattoo, was exhilaratingly performed by Loreen at 2023’s GNTM (Germany’s Next Top Model). Of the 5 finalists presented here, who do you think won?
I spotted this being painted while passing in a street car. I waited 3 days and returned.
The painting was not quite finished, and there was a cherry picker blocking the bottom. It was a sunny day, but I was in a mighty blue mood. Some rain had fallen in my life.
I waited 3 more days, and returned to the yellow and blue painting, like sun and rain, to me. I could heard this song. I had been hearing it for 3 days.
I mailed Holly and told her I found a painted poem. I sent a couple of pics and asked did she have any sun and rain poems? Any yellow and blue poems? She sent 3 poems, and a song.
September Rain The rains come late; vanilla yogurt clouds deepen to ripe blueberry. Twirling harlequins of wind sweep upward through the lush crowns of Lindens where birds weave wicker, dried stems, and waxy feathers, dripping pearly dew onto overgrown gardens. Higher, squirrels shelter in rattan dreys, inky shadows among mottled rays that dance on puddles and glistening blades, the potpourri of life.
~~~ Holly Rene Hunter
One was not a rain on a sunny day poem. Rather, she sent flowers on a sun’s shore.
FLOWER GIRL
Where are you my love? Chasing shadows along sun swept shores?
Turbulence has exfoliated the rosy blush from my cheeks. When we speak our words drift away on the wind.
If you should change your mind I’ll be waiting by the garden gate flowers in my hair.
– Holly Rene Hunter
It Feels Like Rain
The earthy scent of petrichor clings to our skin, overflows my eyes, slips down our cheeks to mingle with salty lips. We know how it feels to swim in sun drenched rivers, to touch the moon and feel the sear of the sun. Your song fills the sky with falling stars. But mine bring the rain… I bring the rain. It feels like rain… You know it feels like rain.
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