Creative Realism

A creative take on realism, which is generally the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative fiction and supernatural elements.

  • Evansburg Mural

    In partnership with Telus Painting the Pembina 2.0 was launched. Same as in 2020, each business or person that donated over $20 has their name on a plaque. This time we raised an extra $1300 for each of the 3 Pembina Schools for their Arts Program. The mural itself is an acronym – Each letter contains pieces of the town as it is or historically that correlates with the letter. The humming bird represents Telus, and the snail shows a slower pace of life. The letters were brush painting, the critters aerosols. Again I am honored to have such a supportive community that helps me realize these projects.

  • Bison Mural

    A little know fact about bison is that when a thunderstorm is coming they will turn towards the storm, walk into it and thus have to bear the brunt of the storm in a shorter time. They face adversity head on and pull together. I love this metaphor and used it in a way to represent the spirit of the town. In the ‘storm’ design are hundreds of little fingerprints from local children and supporters.

  • Perpetual Freedom

    ‘Perpetual Freedom’ is my contribution to the large-scale mural project entitled “A Future Without Oppression”. My mural – is alongside several murals by femme artists which span Baldwin Street in its entirety. Thank you to Serena Purdy, Curtia Wright & Jai Smith as well as @start_streetarttoronto and Friends of Kensington Market for facilitating, organizing and reaching out to me to partake in this wonderful event. I’m happy to have been a part of beautifying a lively community like Kensington Market!!!

  • Elements of Industry

    Bell Box Mural Project, Ward 3, New Toronto, in collaboration with Lakeshore Arts. Wondering what all the hands are doing? They relate to the industrial past of the New Toronto neighbourhood. Campbell’s Soup (tomato), Good Year (tire), Anaconda Copper and Brass (pipe) , Continental Can (tin) and others called this area home and made it an epicentre of industry in the early 20th century.

  • Lansdowne Underpass Art Project

    These artworks share first person perspective stories that speak to the rich ongoing history of the site as home to many diverse plant and animal species and cultural communities, beginning with the Indigenous peoples of Tkaronto and Turtle Island. The Lansdowne Underpass Art Project creates a collaborative artwork that honours this site by telling stories of those who have and continue to live on, play on, build community on, struggle on, learn from, grow in, paint, immigrate to, contribute to, and tend to this land.

  • Pollinator Playground

    Marvelling at plants and small creatures is a childhood fascination that continues to inspire my artwork today. My mural Pollinator Playground is meant to convey this sense of joy and wonder: giant plants dominate the horizon in a storybook landscape and the air is filled with enlarged pollinating species; life-sized people cohabitate this fantasy garden, inviting visitors to see their place amongst the plants and pollinators. If they so choose, guests can pose with a pollinator or giant mural plant, mimicking the poses or just standing alongside the silhouettes.

  • EXCURSION OF MURALS, ARTS AND HERITAGE

    Ce circuit culturel vous fera découvrir, à la croisée des rues des harmonies de couleurs, des projets artistiques complexes et originaux, ainsi que des facettes importantes de notre histoire. Le circuit est composé de 35 stations sur une distance d’un kilomètre.
    This cultural circuit will make you discover, at the crossroads of the streets, harmonies of colors, complex and original artistic projects, as well as important facets of our history. The circuit is made up of 35 stations over a distance of one kilometer.

  • The Skywoman and Turtle Island

    Narrative mural acknowledging the significance of the First nations creation story of the Skywoman and the significant contributions of women in their communities while settling in the Bowmanville and Clarington areas.
    First Nations creation stories tell of how the earth began as a great island floating in space and was a place of eternal peace. From a hole in the sky in the land of the Great Spirit the Sky Woman fell down to the water below. With the help of animals and birds she landed safely on to the back of the turtle. Sky Woman then guided and counselled the various animals to swim to the bottom of the ocean to bring back dirt to create land. Muskrats succeeded in gathering dirt which was placed on the back of a turtle. This dirt began to multiply and also caused the turtle to grow bigger. The turtle continued to grow bigger and bigger and the dirt continued to multiply until it became a huge expanse of land. The land was called Turtle Island and the beginning of creation on the earth.

    Designed and painted by Allan Bender, John Nobrega, Stacey Kinder

  • Journey to the East

    The Journey to the West tells stories of the exploits of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King born from a stone nourished by the Five Elements, who learns the art of the Tao, 72 polymorphic transformations, combat, and secrets of immortality, and through guile and force makes a name for himself, Qitian Dasheng (simplified Chinese: 齐天大圣; traditional Chinese: 齊天大聖).

    Commissioned by Toronto Chinatown B.I.A. Completed Aug 2014

  • Entrance to the Forbidden City

    A landscape mural in the Toronto alleyway of Bejing’s Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the political and ritual center of China for over 500 years. After its completion in 1420, the Forbidden City was home to 24 emperors, their families and servants during the Ming (1368–1644) and the Qing (1644–1911) dynasties.

    Designed and painted by Allan Bender John Nobrega Jesse McQuaig Jien June Kim
    Commissioned by Toronto Chinatown B.I.A. Completed July 2016

  • Chinatown Milky Way Mural, The Herd-Boy and the Weaver-Girl

    A very long time ago, when the King of the Sky created the heavens, he decorated it with stars and asked his beautiful daughter to help him by weaving the clouds and mists. It was a long task and when the king noticed his daughter looking tired and drawn, he ordered her to take a break and go out to play among the stars. The princess headed down towards the Milky Way to bathe, whereupon she came across a handsome herd-boy grazing his water buffalo by the banks of the stream. To this day, on the seventh day of the seventh month of every year a great King sends a flock of magpies over the Milky Way to form a bridge to ensure the return of his daughter. The weather must be clear on this evening or the lovers cannot cross the celestial river to meet each other. If it rains the pair must wait another year. On a clear night you can see their two bright stars together in the sky. If it rains it is said that the drops falling to earth are the tears of the Weaver-Girl Princess.

    Designed and painted by Allan Bender John Nobrega Stacey Kinder

  • Caravan of India

    This painting was commissioned by the BIA and City of Toronto in 2009, and is regularly touched up and refreshed.

    The mural features a rich variety of South Indian themes and motifs, reflecting the neighbourhood’s ‘Little India’ moniker.

    Painted in 2009 by Shayona Panth.

  • The Imoogi Dragon of Bloor Street

    Mythological Mural narrative is that in 1919 Bathurst and Bloor was visited by the great Korean Imoogi.
    The Imoogi is a hornless ocean dragon, sometimes equated with a sea serpent. Literally means, “Great Lizard”. The legend of the Imoogi says that the sun god gave the Imoogi their power through a human girl, which would be transformed into the Imoogi on her 17th birthday.

    Designed and painted by: Allan Bender John Nobrega Stacey Kinder

  • Local 721 Iron Workers Tribute Mural

    The Iron Workers Tribute Mural was created to commemorate and showcase the Local 721 Iron Workers Union. Paying tribute to all the Ironworkers, Apprentices, their trades and their contributions and sacrifices in building Toronto, the GTA and cities across the province.
    To also celebrate I.W.721’s dedication to recruitment and educating future Iron Workers in their largest Canadian accredited training centre.

    Designed and Painted by Blinc Studios
    Artists: Allan Bender, John Nobrega, Sonny Bascalo.