Since discovering Holly and her poetry, years ago, I keep finding her & her poems painted on walls, in alleys, on garage doors, in the market and Graffiti Alley.
This bleak alley went on for a mile, at least. Suddenly … beauty, like a Holly poem.
"Don't tell me what the poets are doing
Those Himalayas of the mind
Don't tell me what the poets been doing
In the long grasses over time"
But my heart can thank Holly, and all the wonderful poets I have found on WP.
“She called herself Lil, but everyone knew her as Nancy”
Hi, Blue Dude Raccoon here, with an Alley Gallery tale that will tune you in and turn you on!
It all began last summer when Nancy (great, great, great, great, great & about 55 more greats) granddaughter of Rocky Raccoon began wandering the alleys taking pics of humans on garage doors.
Teagan R. Geneviene via Night Cafe
Made aware of this, kits in their late teens rebelled. They struck out into the alley spraying graffiti over the images of humans,
and churning up general mayhem.
Their mom’s, dressed in their finest matching period gowns, discussed the issue over tea.
Teagan R. Geneviene via Night Cafe
They actually thought of asking Gideon Bibbel to help. He was the largest scariest raccoon ever. He was so big he lived in an abandoned warehouse, and took up all the space.
Unfortunately, he terrified the wee tiny ones, so they decided against it.
One night after a gig, the Jazz Racs, a local raccoon jazz band who played for humans, parked their car in an alley, after a gig.
Teagan R. Geneviene via Night Cafe
The kits spent half the night spray painting the car, while everyone slept.
Something had to be done! The mom’s decided to consult Big Purple, the wise old leader of the Trash Can Clan.
Simple he said. The Kits need to be Jazzed Up. They need to channel their emotions creatively.
Teagan R. Geneviene via Night Cafe
So, after making the Kits clean the paint off of the car, they all head down to the Jazz Cafe.
The Kits were wowed!
The Kits all decided to learn to play instruments, and start a band.
A couple of months later (Raccoons learn very quickly) they played their first gig,
… and their happy mom’s showed up to dance.
Teagan R. Geneviene via Night Cafe
Pics taken by Resa – 2024-2026
Toronto, Canada
The Artists:
For anyone who hasn’t guessed, I began this tale with inspiration from The song below.
AI was not used in the writing of this post.
Post Script:
Toronto is known as the "Raccoon Capitol", which is why there is so much raccoon street art in the city.
When Teagan, a most creative & whimsical writer, included the image of Raccoons having tea in gowns in a post, I got quite a chuckle out it. So I asked Teagan if I could include it in my annual raccoon street art post. Not only did she say yes, but out of the blue, in kind & generous spirit, Teagan did up more raccoon whimsy and sent it to me.
I think it looks like Amy… a healthy Amy with full cheeks.
She had full lips, tattoos, dark-lined mascara eyes and often a big flower in her hair.
She held her chin behind her wrist, at times.
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote I Heard It Through the Grapevine in 1966. The next year, Motown stars Gladys Knight and the Pips had a #2 Billboard Hit with it.
In 2006, Amy and Paul Weller did a fabulous live version. I love the juxtaposition between Amy’s brave blues/jazz vocals and Paul’s straight ahead performance.
I drew Amy a couple of years ago for Holly and my series on Rock Stars.
You can check out the article on Holly’s House of Heart!
Found this installation art in an outdoor parking lot. The images & “words” are from a rare book. Only 58 copies were ever made. They reside in private collections and rare book libraries.
“toronto (canada) is a place like no other place, for all i know”
Chinkok Tan’s drawings of streetscapes and buildings are visual love letters, from his early years. He arrived in Toronto from Malaysia on December 4, 1967, with $129.00.
"first, i felt the cold the cold i had never felt before
the wind icy cold wind biting, penetrating, - going through me like i was nothing."
Tan had come to Toronto to attend the Ontario College of Art (OCA – now OCAD).
"the y.m.c.a. i was told is cheap. it cost four bucks a night my room was small, cell like,
* it was my fortune on the second day to meet the cleaning lady,
* out of loneliness i spoke to her, my problem became hers, she understood."
Tan found a job as a bus-boy in a restaurant on Bay Street. For 2 years he worked nights, part time.
* "time old buildings expressing nostalgic past, residential streets within the city, people actually make their home in downtown toronto - the city is for the people!"
He turned these drawings into a book in 1973. It is now a time capsule of Toronto in transition.
"recently, the city has changed because of the fantastic building boom that will soon turn toronto into a city none of us know."
Pics taken by Resa – August 13, 2026
Baldwin Street – near the Ontario College of Art & Design
Toronto, Canada
❦ As this post was ready to go, and I am swamped with “to do’s”; I decided to post it now. The Underpass “Scattered Order III” will resume after a brief intermission. ❦
The artist EGR has been painting faces around town since before I discovered street art.
So, it is befitting that her art begins the underpass gallery. The cement wall starts out about 2′ high, then grows to better than 6′.
At the skateboarder, it’s about 4′ high. For this mural she mentored several students from the Bishop Morrocco secondary school arts program.
The skateboarder segues into a gorgeous tropical scene, that is about 5′ high.
This piece is not signed. However, as it is a city project, the credits should appear on the website, eventually.
I would think the 2 artist(s) first seen in the pic below, standing at a blank wall are beginning to paint this mural. Notice the cans of oranges and pinks on the stand.
The artist in the cap at the next wall (face unseen) is painting the image below. It is titled –
ningodwaaswi(niizh) : 6(2)
Note the bird circled on the left. The angled shape circled on the right are the beginnings of the bird.
The artist, Bradley J. Reinhardt’s (bjr_artist) mother was Ojibwe. His father was white. A quote from his instagram page.
"This painting reflects the impact of the Indian Act, specifically the Second Generation Cut-Off. I am registered under section 6(2), meaning I cannot pass status to my children unless their other parent has status. In the painting, the bear represents me and the 2 cubs represent my sons. The river symbolizes the Indian Act, a system that divides families and determines legal identity. The Orange and blue areas represent the loss of language, culture, and identity caused by colonization and residential schools. Although my sons cannot receive status under the law, they will grow up learning Ojibwe values, culture and teachings. My hope is that one day the Indian Act will change so families like mine are no longer divided by legislation."
A few over …
… is this kool kid by Blackburn; chillin’ under the clouds catching all the art action.
Even further along, as you come out of dark areas of the underpass, is this 4-faced beauty. I love it.
As we enter one of the dark areas, (note the light that helps keep it safe) are 2 beguiling pieces; something for everyone.
Below is Opola Karim painting her wonderful image of Toronto.
TADA!
Back into the light of day!
I met Getso a few years back when he was part of a painting party in the alley behind me. Part of that alley painting party was Nick Sweetman. Nick is one of my faves and has a category link on my sidebar.
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