Tag: Toronto Outdoor Art

Sunflower Power

On By ResaIn Street Art, Tributes119 Comments

Each pic of sunflowers has a poem, song, opinion or photo essay behind it. Click on the pic to see what some of our creative friends on WP offer in support of Ukraine.

Above is Holly – House of Heart‘s poem, Sunflowers. She wrote it special, for a post I did on Art Gowns. Behind the “Sunflower Power” image above, is her poem written out.

If you think something about the above looks like Merril -Historical Musings, I agree. Behind this pic you will find her post w/poem “Ghost Light”, written in the wake of – “Russian forces had bombed a theatre in Mariupol that was sheltering many children and elderly civilians.”

Click on the above & you will go to Brian’s blog, Equinoxo 21. See his excellent photo journal essay “Svoboda. Liberté. Freedom”

Tim wrote a parody to “Purple Haze” titled “Ukraine Daze”. It cuts to the chase. The above hazy sunflowers take you to the post/w/video on his blog, Off Center Not Even.

Go to this post on Georgiann Carlson’s blog (Rethinking Life) to read- “Compassion…a poem of sorts”

My addition is Edwin Starr’s “War” (w/lyrics). Bruce Springfield did a heroic version, which is on my current Art Gowns post.

 

Eternal Road – by: John W. Howell

On By ResaIn Book Reviews, Street Art206 Comments

It’s the road trip of a deathtime.

I’d say lifetime, but both lead characters, James and Samantha, have already passed. Where are they going? I can’t tell you. However, a few brief glimpses of their journey are in order.

Of course I was keen on knowing why John had picked this particular car.

Resa – Why did you pick the 1965 Oldsmobile? Why turquoise and white?

John – The 1965 Oldsmobile was selected since it represents my awakening in high school. I was born in Detroit and when I was 15 moved to the suburbs. During high school I used to wash and wax a neighbors 1965 Oldsmobile coupe. Yes, it was turquoise and white and had fancy hubs and white wall tires. The car represents the suburbs since the real item very seldom got very dirty and existed without the inner city grime, pings, and nicks. It always struck me as a symbol of innocence and purity. No one in the city would drive a car like that. If they did it probably would have been stolen or at least vandalized.

So, I hopped in the car. First stop I remember was the wild west.

Resa – Were you enthralled by tales of the wild west when you were a kid? Did you watch all the westerns on TV?

John – Yes I loved westerns when I was a kid. I used to watch the old shows. Hoppalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers were my favorites.

John – I should also add I held a history minor in College so my learning about the old west never stopped.

So crazy how John wove everything together in this story. In terms of suspension of disbelief; I was there, as John took me hither and yon.

Yon… the devil, evil, trickery and punishment can take on any and many forms. So it does in this saga.

He’s here, he’s there, he’s everywhere, so beware! He’s even in Las Vegas!

I loved when we were with the horses. They are gorgeous creatures and have helped mankind immensely.

Then the devil….AGAIN! In the form of War!!

We go back to the horses. Why? Mmm that would be a spoiler. Where do we go after that. Again, spoiler.

Resa – I used the search tool. I was systematic and careful. Eyes are mentioned on almost every page, mostly due to travelling, but I could not find the colour of Sam’s eyes. I also searched brown, blue, hair…no luck. Thing is, I was thinking of drawing Sam as an angel, maybe no wings. This way I could do a gown.

John – You are not crazy. You won’t find a color of Sam’s eyes since I very seldom describe the characters in terms of physical attributes. My reason for doing this is I would rather the reader form an image in their mind of what the characters look like. So you can make her eye color whatever pleases you. She is more your character than mine since you invested your time reading the book. You can do whatever you wish.

Resa – I see her with light brown hair, and green eyes.
I know she and James look totally human, not like angels for sure. I’m looking for a reason to draw her in a gown. I’m sure I’ll think of one.

John – Since she died when she was seven I think she would be thrilled to be dressed in a gown just like a princess she dreamed of being when she was little.

Resa – Okay first drawing is along the lines of a Disney Princess. If Sam was murdered in 2003 … then Belle from Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Aurora, and Cinderella, would all be an influence.

John – Sam was murdered in 2003 when she was 7. She certainly would have been influenced by Belle, Aurora, and Cinderella .

Did you ever look up the meaning of the name Samantha?

John – The name Samantha in Hebrew means “As told by God.” When my daughter was born we looked up a bunch of names and we selected another. I always liked the name and I wanted to use it. Also in this story and the next one Sam seems to be constantly telling James the rules of Eternity. I think she comes by being the mouthpiece of God quite naturally.

Resa – This second drawing, more straight from my imagination is partly based on one of the lesser known meanings of Samantha. My search yielded Flower. Another is Listener. “As told by God.” is the most listed. Sam has grown up, as has her idea of a princess.
I think both interpretations are valid.

John –  I agree with your statement that the interpretations are valid. Thank you for sharing these beautiful drawings.

Resa – My pleasure! John, thank you for writing this book!

Click on the cover of Eternal Road, and go to John’s Amazon page.

Visit John on his blog!

Pics taken by Resa – 2013 to 2021

Toronto & Winnipeg

The artists:

Horses – Mandy Van Leeuwen, War – Charlie Johnson, Horse & Cart – John Kuna, Devil Dude – Len Lone Child, Cowboy silhouettes – Joe Viera

Putin Go F**k Yourself

On By ResaIn Alley Gallery, Nick Sweetman92 Comments

I just had to go to Graffiti Alley yesterday. I was wondering if any of the artists were showing their support for Ukraine with their art. I found this by nick_sweetman

Nick says on his Instagram account:

“We chose the colours of the Ukranian flag and wrote “Putin idy nakhuy” which in Ukranian means “Putin, go fuck yourself” sung by Ukraine’s national animal, the nightingale. Letters by @mr_tensoe2 @twice.born and @workingspy3000 who also painted the white dove of peace 🕊”

A look at the alley.

Graffiti Alley is a large network of lanes and alleys. I continued on my way.

…and found this painted paste-up, which was obviously purposely wrinkled up in the gluing.

Say it again!

The Sorcerer’s Garden – D. Wallace Peach

On By ResaIn Book Reviews225 Comments

Wow! Fantasy adventure, mystery and reality all rolled into one. Lillian might be looking into a crystal ball, but all else can only see what she, the Dreamer, reveals.

Peach has us looking through that crystal ball revealing window, always. Yet, are we looking into a garden filled with verdant life, or from the garden into a darkness? Perhaps death? In fact, the author takes us to both sides & then a third.

The saga opens in a time long ago. Two brothers, Dustin and Cody, slay a fire breathing dragon. It’s a well planned battle, and the brothers emerge heroes.

Peach quickly takes us to a second revealing window. We are in a different time. Place?  I was compelled to ask the author a few questions.

Peach – Well, I haven’t ever visited a catacomb or a crypt, though I’d like to! I tend to collect images randomly from the internet and use them to gather cool details – like the slant of light or the shape of columns or the pattern of tiles on the floor.

The Sorcerer’s Garden was a little different because it takes place in Portland, Oregon, near where I live. I used the Pittock Mansion, a real place, as Dustin and Cody’s mansion home. To prepare for the book, I took a private tour of the building (now a museum) and got to explore the areas the public doesn’t normally get to visit.

I took tons of notes, and collected photos and floor plans. Lillian’s music room in the book is exactly as it looked in the house. The tour included the basement, which was a little creepy and dusty and made for a perfect catacomb.

It was strange and disorienting going there for another tour after I completed the book. I felt like I’d stepped into the pages. I stood in Cody’s room, leaned on the counter where Pagan made coffee, and sat on Lillian’s sofa, looking out her picture window.

Resa – Quite cool, or in more modern words -that’s sick!

Resa – Our lead character, Madlyn, wears a black gown, the hem trimmed with onyx beads. It’s to a corporate dinner hosted by Dustin, head of the corporation. She is his social co-host. It sounds like a simple classic piece, no frills or poufs. She accessorizes with her mother’s elegant string of pearls.

 When we first see Princess Madlyn, in days of yore and gore, she’s in a black gown, its hem trimmed in onyx. Is she wearing any other jewels? A  different necklace, perhaps? Gloves?

Peach – I love your impressions of her gowns. I always envisioned the gowns as the same, since the story is already starting to overlap with the real world. But I never say that in the book, so her gowns are created by each reader’s imagination.
One of the coolest things about writing is that readers fill in the blanks, not only in clothing but in the general appearance of the characters and the setting. You’re the expert, so let your imagination create. Anything you do will be just right! I might even add some of your details to the book!
Resa – I imagined 2 gowns, as the story proceeded. One is her original black gown, with the addition of shoes and a sweater (scripted). The gown is now torn from horse riding through battles, the sweater disheveled.
Confession! First, I did create a gown that was not scripted. Yet, the era apparent of the story gave me way to come up with this gown. In the end I realize I created a fusion image. The image is Madlyn, The Queen & Lillian the Dreamer, all rolled into one.

So, to the battles. I engage emotionally when I write, so I hold my breath, make faces, grit my teeth, and cry when something bad happens.
My husband used to worry about me sobbing at my laptop, but knows to ignore it now.
I figure I need to immerse myself in a scene emotionally and feel all the feelings, because if I hold back, readers will sense the distance. I don’t feel bad about slaughtering monsters and bad guys, but it does hurt when I bump off characters I’ve grown fond of, and that certainly was the case in the book. The twist at the end changed the story, but in the moment, I was blubbering. I prepare by scheduling big chunks of time for tough scenes. That way I can give in, go where I need to go, process, and finish in one sitting.

Resa – There are some really bad guys in your story. I mean BAD, and not in the cool way.

The bad guys start off mean, greedy and willing to give into the Soul Thief. Once they give into the Soul Thief, they physically evolve into individual images of that evil. Peach, I bumped into this piece of alley art. I thought – OMG, it’s Warson, most of the way though his metamorphosis. His hair is evolving into horns, and he’s not dressed. Gross!

We find ourselves at the third revealing window. You’ll want to peer keenly through this window! It seems like there is a third entity, a spirit perhaps, writing another book. Nonetheless, it’s still this book. This is a brilliance of Peach’s writing. I’ve said lots, yet said nothing. You’ll just have to read the book!

This book deserves  all great reviews and accolades. It is in many ways about the age old struggles: peace and love vs. hate and war, bad vs. good; decency vs. cruelty. It is intense. Although good triumphs, it is not without loss. This is also an ancient reality.

A long-time reader, best-selling author D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life after the kids were grown and a move left her with hours to fill. Years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books, and when she started writing, she was instantly hooked.

In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography.

Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.

Visit Diana on her blog!

You can buy D. Wallace Peach’s books on:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Kobo

All pics of street art taken by Resa – 2019 – 2022

Toronto, Canada

Artists:

Dragon (manipulated) – from a mural by Allan Bender John Nobrega & Stacey Kinder

All other artists unknown

Black & White Blues

On By ResaIn Original Art113 Comments

It was at least a half block away.  I was shaking. Black & white street art is a bit rare.

I was impressed with how great it looked painted on a peeling tin sheet wall.

When I got there, I realized it was not art for art’s sake, but an ad. That made me blue.

OMG! There’s Leonard Cohen’s head just up over the trash can.

I get there, and it’s not art for art’s sake, but an ad about Leonard Cohen’s memorial stamp. I didn’t feel so blue, because I adore him.

I drew this b&w pencil sketch of a famous person, in a couple of hours. It’s a sort of  copy of a b&w photo. I think it looks like the person.

I got all cocky. I thought I would try another famous person, from a b&w photo. I used a technique where I didn’t draw an outline first. Rather I shaded(scribbled) my way in. I spent many nights shading away. In the end, it looks nothing like the person. I was heartbroken, after all that work.

I did a Blue Heron post a couple posts ago. A couple of comments later, Trent writes this song. He has a fancy synthesizer, and does some cool music on it. However, he actually sings the blues in this. He’s good, got feel.

He followed up with “For Her Heartbreak”. I know Trent got a new synth, sort of recently. He’s been working with it on his new pieces. I asked him what the name is. I got this answer:

“I use a Sequential Prophet Rev 2 polyphonic analog synth as my primary poly-synth and I have been using a Behringer Poly D for bass lines, leads, solos, etc. – the Ploy D is a MiniMoog clone.”

This could be of interest for the musicians out there!

The Heartbreak might be in Red, but it’s blue. You can visit Trent on his blog – Trent’s World

Last, but not least, I share this b&w drawing of a blog pal, that I have never met. Her Poetry & Writings can make me feel anywhere from Powder Blue to French Navy and every blue in between. There’s other colours, but this is about B,W & Blue.