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.

  • Stay Strong

    Large scale mural on the side of 254 Spadina Ave, supported by stART Toronto. Painted by local muralists Kreecha, SOWL and Flips as a response to the COVID pandemic. Mural is mostly black and white and features a woman wearing a mask, painting a rose in red. Completed in Aug 2020.

  • Bampot Tea House

    Large-scale aerosol mural for Bampot House of Tea on Harbord St. by mural collective Clandestinos Art including Shalak Attack & Bruno Smoky. Features a Panda spirit and a crocodile gentleman drinking tea. Completed 2015

  • MadCat

    Garage door mural painted for Wallnoize Event in 2013 by Shalak Attack, of a “mad” cat, with a paw holding fish on the adjacent fence (which has since deteriorated).

  • Violet King

    “My design is based on the first Black woman lawyer in Canada, Violet King. I choose to depict her in my design not only due to her connection to Alberta, being born in Calgary October 18th 1929, but for her prevalence as a figure of Canadian History. Violet was an adamant purveyor of justice practicing criminal law in Calgary and later in the US. This mural will serve as a memorial and celebration of Kings life and legacy with a hope that more folks will learn about her story.”

  • ᑮᐦᑳᔮᓱᐁᐧᐤ KÎHKÂYÂSOWÊW / SHE SHINES BRIGHTLY

    This piece was created in collaboration with both Kayla Bellerose and Mackenzie Brown. The portrait of Amy wearing a buffalo robe is a recreation of an original photograph by Yamuna Flaherty, a photographer and friend of Amy’s. The circle behind Amy’s portrait is the sun with 7 beams of light representing the 7
    Sacred Teachings of Truth, Honesty, Respect, Humility, Love, Wisdom, and Courage. Amy Willier embodied these teachings with the way she lived her life with family and community. The symmetrical butterflies represent the transformation of coming from darkness into light, and we chose the colour orange to honour
    the children being found at unmarked mass graves in residential schools across Canada, and green to honour the intergenerational healing of our future generations. Amy advocated for Orange Shirt Day for years, so we know that she is now a helper in the spirit world bringing home the children who never
    made it back to their family.

  • Pandora’s Snail

    A mural that took 14 days to paint, Pandora’s Snail looks like a page from a timeless storybook you could get lost in. Rich blues and pink adorn the cerebral clowns on Kayla’s canvas, between whom sits an ancient snail. What secret’s loom inside this snail? What stories do these characters bring to the Beltline? Inspired by the Cirque du soleil show KOOZA, Kayla says “The mural is about two curious but mischievous clowns about to open Pandora’s snail to release chaos onto the world. The snail is a slow moving creature making it easy to catch and open with the key. The mural uses costumes and motifs from KOOZA to tell a brand new story created by MILKBOX.

  • Look Within

    My BUMP mural was inspired by the business behind the wall. When I discovered the wall I was to paint I immediately went in to meet the business owner and took a few photos. Later on I realized I needed to go back and take more inside shots as my ideas for the concept were beginning to develop. This was my first time doing a mural and I wanted to be excited about the design but also be confident that it could be executed properly with the timeframe and structure of the wall.

  • Akin

    Unity and concept of “being in this together.”

    Fragments of diverse young faces intermingle in a column of light within swirling ribbons of colour in this eight-story-high street mural. They coalesce into a radiant triple portrait with a message for our times. Akin is a refreshing work of urban art with an intelligent dose of spatial complexity and social engagement, wrapped up with remarkable craftsmanship.

  • Sunday Evening

    “A pandemic, climate crisis and rising inflation. I’ve never been more broke. But I’ve also managed to gain a new insight into the beauty that occurs every day. Inspired by my recent experiences of transitioning primarily to biking, Inner City Summer is a peaceful testament to how today’s youth breathe life into their cities. The more time I spend on my bike, the more I notice the beauty of these minute interactions between individual and public space. Pockets of people in their own little world. Each like a beautiful painting. By portraying a young woman sprawled across the grass reading alongside her bike, my concept romanticizes a simple moment in time. It champions the beauty of individualism. How do we move through these spaces expressing ourselves from one stop to the next? The woman pictured in the concept is a friend and an emerging artist who embodies a warm, confident, yet introverted energy. I see myself in her. I see my friends in her. She represents a universal mood I began to see on my solo bike rides. This piece is intended to be painted in an impressionistic style (loosely realistic). The warm greens and skin draw the eye and give greater emphasis on the young woman’s tranquil isolation and confidence.”