Tag: Public Art

Jesse Mockrin 2 – Witchy Women

On By ResaIn Jesse Mockrin69 Comments

In Botanicals

Women healers practiced medicine for thousands of years.

Old Magic (2025) Oil on Linen

“In the late Middle Ages (1300-1500 CE), these practices were criminalized, and women who worked with plant medicine were rebranded as witches.“

Witches became an archetype for story telling.

Forbidden Fruit (2025) Oil on Linen

“In her recent paintings of witchy women, Mockrin depicts lush, fertile landscapes replete with plants women used to promote menstrual health, sexual health, and for abortion.”

Botanicals included mandrake, mugwort, fennel and dittany.

In Myth

DAPHNE

Daphne is a river nymph from ancient Greek Mythology.

She was the daughter of the river god Peneus.

Daphne “took a vow of chastity and rejected all romantic advances toward her.

The god Apollo fell in love with the river nymph, and when she rejected him, he attempted to rape her.

Daphne ran to the banks of her father’s river, begging him for help.

Intending to protect his daughter from Apollo’s violence, Peneus transformed her forever into a laurel tree.“

I’m intrigued by how Mockrin depicts Daphne as 3 different faces.

A Story told this many times becomes a forest (2024) Triptych – Oil on Linen

Turns out it is 3 stages of transforming – right to left. It comes originally from a poem by Sophia Stid (2020) DAPHNE PURSUED BY APOLLO.

The polestar of Mockrin’s painting is Daphne’s face. Apollo is banished to the outside of the frame.

SYRINX

A Greek and Roman myth, it resembles the tale of Daphne.

Syrinx (2018) Oil on Canvas

“Srynx ran from the satyr Pan, who tried to rape her.

As she approached the shore of a river, she called out to her river nymph sisters for help.

They transformed her into a crop of reeds, which Pan cut to fashion a flute from her.

Even the invention of wind instruments was used to justify sexual violence in the ancient world”.

Sexual violence and even the invention of wind instruments…? I didn’t find further info re; that statement, but…

Oil on canvas – 1722/24

I did stumble upon a painting of Pan chasing Srynx, by – Jean-François de Troy. The free download (& more info) is from the Getty Museum. Click Srynx on the left to view the page.

Could not resist a compare image of Jesse Mockrin’s vision, with Jean-François de Troy’s.

Pics taken by Resa – May 14, 2024

Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada

Source: Getty Images – Flag Art Foundation & Art Gallery of Ontario – “Bold italics in quotes are from the plaquards by the paintings”.

Two 2-Faced Faces

On By ResaIn Faces, Street Art98 Comments

With Four – 2-faced bonuses

Not the nicest hole between walls, but these faces lured me in.

With all the trash underfoot, a dumpster and strange fire escape to nowhere, It was difficult to get clear head on shots.

It seemed like it would be fun to mix and match the half faces.

More recently,

..this half face popped up in my hood.

Above is a slideshow of all the half faces on their own. I matched them all different. Now, there are 6 altogether.

Presenting – the 4 mismatched up half heads!

Pics taken by Resa – May 18, 2025 & June 12, 2026

Toronto, Canada

The artists:

Daniela Rocha (purple half head)

An Abundance of Swans

On By ResaIn Reposts

Presented by: Blue Swan

Hello! Blue Swan here, and I love all things SWAN!

I’m sure you love swans too, so head over to Robbie Cheadle’s latest post on Different Kinds of Art, and check out all the action!

Different Kinds of Art: An Abundance of Swans – A collaboration by Resa and Robbie

EXCUSE ME!

But you are no more a Blue Swan, than I am. YOU are a Blue Pigeon.

I am a Blue Swan!

Blue pigeon!

SWAN!

PIGEON!

There’s just no talking to some blue people! Check out the Abundance of Swans post, and leave your comments there!

Pics taken by Resa – May 15 & June 17, 2026

Toronto, Canada

The Artists:

Old Hues (pigeon) &

Blue Face (unknown) – This is a 14 year old face in Kensington Market, that has just been lovingly restored. It was one of my earliest posts, then was tagged and weathered over the years. I was thrilled to see it refurbished.

I AM A SWAN

Birds of Davenport

On By ResaIn Murals, Nick Sweetman83 Comments

Or as I call them, Nick’s Birds.

After all, Nick painted them.

First up is the Black & White Warbler.

Then we have the Blue Jay.

White-breasted Nuthatch

As one can see in the header, the birds are painted in a curved semi amphitheatre seating area. It semi-surrounds the entrance to the Davenport Subway station. Hence The Birds of Davenport.

I also took the mural in sections. The first section features the first six birds; up to the Red Breasted Grosbeak. Above – Cedar Waxwing

Northern Flicker

Red Breasted Grosbeak

The 5 birds after the Grosbeak are:

The White-throated Sparrow

Scarlet Tanager

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

European Starling

Red-tailed Hawk

And the last 5

House Finch (personal love)

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet

A Turkey Vulture

Blackburnian Warbler

And finally, the Common Grackle.

Pics taken by Resa – April 30, 2026

Toronto, Canada

The Artist:

Woman in a Window & Pretty Trashed

On By ResaIn Graffiti Alley, Windows132 Comments

I went to the Junction to see if any of the holiday window art had been kept.

Every holiday season artists paint, usually frost-like images, on the windows of shops.

It’s only there for a month, a cold and snowy month. This is why I’ve never made it there for the happening.

I found only one. It’s on a record store window. I don’t know if it’s from the art fest or not, but I like it.

I was in a window once,

in a pantyhose ad.

Photo by Taffy Rosen

Found this when tossing stuff from the back of a closet. Kinda glad I still have it… crumpled & stained though it may be. (I touched amap out as possible.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She’s Pretty & she’s on a trash bin, so she’s Pretty Trashed.

Pics taken by Resa – May 25 & 30, 2026

Toronto, Canada

Artists: Unknown to me at this time

Fox & Flowers

On By ResaIn Garage Doors151 Comments

Sweet innocence

Sometimes the most simple art enraptures me.

Frannie Potts’ style has a way of making me imagine I feel like a blooming flower, or a butterfly about to fly.

“Flowers in her hair”

Holly reminded me of this song, when she posted it a couple of times, and so did the fox with flowers.

Pics taken by Resa – April 16, 2026

Toronto, Canada

The Arist:

And Remember

Sherlock Holmes Walk

On By ResaIn Murals108 Comments

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”.

PS: Check your SPAM Folder regularly!