Midtown Morning Glory
2018 mural painted using aerosol and latex paint and stencils. Morning glory design in tile pattern on a Bell Box. Artist: Karen Roberts
-
-
Winter Winds
2018 Created for the Lakeshore Bike Lane Barrier Mural pilot project. Winter winds illustrates Canadian winter with cool sun, blowing trees and strong, cold winds. Artist: Karen Roberts
-
King’s Buried Treasure
During the formative days of Toronto, multiple creeks traversed the land along King St from Bathurst to Jarvis. Cathedral Creek flowed through St. James Park beneath the site of The Cathedral Church of St. James, from Jarvis and King to Church and Adelaide. At least 8 more creeks crossed King Street. They are now buried or dried up. King’s Buried Treasure road mural depicts a stream, edged with rocks, pebbles, mud and brush; resurrecting the lost creeks of King St. Fallen logs are placed along the mural giving the public a place to sit and rest while reflecting on the evolution/disappearance of the creek. The mural meanders along the public space, adding colour, beautifying the street and providing an infusion of nature in the heart of downtown. Animal footprints will appear on the sidewalk when it rains, but will be invisible in dry weather. Horse, deer, moose, rabbit, fox, beaver, raccoon, squirrel and bird tracks will surround the stream when wet. As the sun shines and dries the sidewalk, their existence will fade from sight, just as the creatures did. These ghostly images encourage passersby to return during wet weather.
2018Artist: Karen Roberts
-
Chancellor Park Long-Term Care Facility
Contracted murals depicting nature-scapes to soften the environment in each ward. These murals are located on all three floors including front lobby entrance and include an Alzheimer’s wing using murals at all entrances and exits to create visual stop signs so doors are not accessed by residents.
-
Street Feet
“Street Feet” is a playful mural depicting characters from all walks of life, in the community of Mirvish Village. Their shoes and stance, from the knee down, suggest the individuals personalities and lifestyles.
By Karen Roberts -
St. George and the Dragon
A street art re-interpretation of the old trope of St. George the Martyr, battling the Dragon. This 2015 version is based on a 1502 renaissance painting by Vittore Carpaccio. In the new version the figures have been warped using photoshop and stripped of their 16th century surroundings. They instead exist here, in Toronto, displayed on the raw cinderblock of a former industrial warehouse building in the West End. In a notable change from former paintings of the same theme, this St. George has no lance, and the Dragon flees in fear rather than battling the martyr. Jacob Hughes’ version was painted as a response to a different mural by artist Istvan Kantor, on the same wall. The mural has since received a third layer response by artist Oscar Figueroa, as the wall (and neighbourhood) continue/s to evolve.
-
Little Bangladesh
The mural means home. It’s a depiction of an ordinary but very distinctly recognizable Bangladesh scene. The neighbourhood of Crescent Town is populated by Bangladeshis and is near the intersection that is essentially “little Bangladesh” with the culture flourishing on the streets and in businesses. I wanted to remind them a little of their old…
