Monday Mural

  I'm linking up at Monday Mural

June 2026 - Toronto ON

Queen St. W

In Japanese, sanko most commonly means reference or consultation (参考, sankō), meaning information or a source you look at to help you think or decide. Depending on the kanji characters used, it can also mean three lights (三光—the sun, moon, and stars), and it can refer to a local Japanese grocery store like Sanko Trading Co. right here in Toronto.

Toronto does not have a single, official historic "Japantown" neighborhood, but rather spots around town.

The famous wall outside Sanko Trading Co. (located at Queen Street West and Claremont Street) features a newly re-painted piece titled The JapanTown Project No. 5. Created by an artist collective known as "The Summit," this version replaces the store's previous iconic Japanese-inspired collage that had occupied the wall since 2013 (see below).

The mural prominently highlights Sanko's legacy as a grocery store, depicting detailed, colourful illustrations of swirling bowls of noodles, fresh sushi rolls, and fish.

MURAL UPDATE

This replaces the original mural I posted in 2014 and 2015!

The previous mural at Sanko Trading Co.—which graced the Claremont Street wall from 2013 until its recent re-painting—was a highly celebrated, eclectic collaborative masterpiece. It was specifically painted by a powerhouse collective of Japanese-Canadian artists, including Ken Galloway, Timothy Fukakusa (Ekwal), Mitsuo Kimura, Takashi Iwasaki, Darcy Obokata, and Shogo Okada.

Because Toronto doesn't have an official, physical "Japantown," the artists explicitly designed the wall to act as a visual block of Japan dropped right into West Queen West.

The magic of the original piece was its mashup of contrasting artistic styles. Because five different artists worked on it simultaneously, you could look at one section and see crisp graffiti spray paint, then turn your head slightly to see soft, traditional brush strokes.

Monday Mural

  I'm linking up at Monday Mural 

May 2026 - Toronto ON 

"Kisses" floral mural painted by street artist Bacon on the side of the Piano Piano restaurant located on Colborne Street in Toronto.

There is another Piano Piano on Harbord St. which also has a Bacon mural.

Monday Mural

 I'm linking up at Monday Mural

April 2026 - Toronto ON Part 3

All these murals were down the same laneway that come out on Ossington, from Dundas W.

Part 2

Part 1

D. Terra

This mural features a portrait of Canadian singer The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye).

D. Terra

 The stencil art features Amália Rodrigues and Mariza, both celebrated figures in the Fado music genre.

The text "Nem às paredes confesso..." translates to "I don't even confess to the walls...", a famous line from a song popularised by Amália Rodrigues.

Signs

  Joining Tom at Signs2

July 2026 - Toronto ON

I took this photo last week on Queen St. W in Toronto.

I uploaded this photo to AI to find out more about it.

This was the response I got!!!

AI Overview

This calligraphic mural by artist Seb Lester features a quote from the 14th-century Persian poet Hafez.
The artwork, titled "I Wish," was created for the London Mural Festival.
Located in Holborn, London, it depicts stylized, vertical black lettering against a white brick wall.

I responded by saying "No, it is on Queen St. W in Toronto."

You are entirely right. This vertical calligraphic mural is the building signage for Absolutely Fabrics, a curated designer and vintage clothing boutique. Located at 613 Queen Street West in Toronto's Fashion District, the custom black typography serves as an artistic storefront sign painted onto the white brick wall right near the city's famous Graffiti Alley.

Monday Mural

   I'm linking up at Monday Mural

April 2026 - Toronto ON

Indigenous Mural

Billy Bishop Airport Part 2

The Perspectives public art program transforms the pedestrian tunnel at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport into a vibrant celebration of the people, places, and stories that shape Toronto. Each edition highlights five artists, with four works per artist reproduced in a grand and striking format, turning the journey to the airport into an immersive gallery-worthy experience.

Now on Display: Perspectives 3

Our current exhibition (starting March 2026) explores Toronto’s migratory history, its natural landscapes, and its constantly evolving urban patterns, as well as the rhythms and subtle magic of everyday life. From evocative photography to bold digital cityscapes, the works capture the dynamism and diversity that define the city.

Callan Jaida Jones

@trailmxjones

Mx. Callan Jaida Jones is a queer artist and writer. Their multidisciplinary practice investigates points of contact between disparate forces, using shifting perspectives to cultivate empathy.

About their works in Perspectives, they say, “Blueprints is a series of photographs captured from a two-seater Cessna departing from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. My work attends to the city’s quieter spaces, where careful looking draws out hidden grace. For me, this reflects Toronto’s spirit as a city of possibility, experienced through movement and continual discovery.”

Pam Staples

@crackercrumbsstudios

Pam Staples is a digital illustrator with over two decades of experience creating vivid, story-driven visual works that celebrate the natural world, outdoor living and community spaces.

“Living in Toronto as a young artist, I learned the rhythm of a big city at a time when Toronto was evolving into the vibrant, diverse place it is today. Community is central to the city’s identity, and to my practice. Whether referencing the waterfront, the built environment, or the subtle patterns of everyday life, my work aims to honour people and their shared experiences.”

Frida Kahlo

December 2025 - Phuket Thailand

June 2025 - I found Frida Kahlo socks in Reykjavik Iceland!

April 2025 - Lisbon Portugal

April 2025 - A present!

February 2025 - Cathedral City CA

July 2023 - Frida Recap

July 6 is Frida Kahlo's birthday!

I am a huge Frida Kahlo fan. Love her art and her story. Click here for a short biography.

March 2022 - Immersive Frida Toronto ON

Click here for the Immersive Frida Exhibit we saw in Toronto.

In 2015 I went to an exhibit featuring her at the Textile Museum in Toronto. It also includes a link to an exhibit also in Toronto at the ROM.

Click here for an exhibit of Frida's work we attended in San Diego in 2014.

I found a mural in Toronto with Frida on it.

Another Toronto mural.

I am posting a recap of the various items we spotted on our 2016 Mexican trip.

Artist Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, in Coyocoán, Mexico City, Mexico. Considered one of Mexico's greatest artists, Frida Kahlo began painting after she was severely injured in a bus accident. Kahlo later became politically active and married fellow communist artist Diego Rivera in 1929. She exhibited her paintings in Paris and Mexico before her death in 1954.
You will find renderings of Frida and her works on everything, everywhere in Mexico.
She is often depicted with her trademark "unibrow" and faint mustache.

Mazatlan

Painted on the wall of an art gallery "Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?"

Guadalajara

Mural on El Andador Coronilla

Tlaquepaque

San Miguel de Allende

Guanajuato

This town is the birthplace of Frida's husband Diego Rivera.

A nude painting of Frida done by Diego, it is in Diego's museum.

Frida and Diego in papier mache.

Puerto Vallarta

Monday Mural

I'm linking up at Monday Mural

April 2026 - Toronto ON

Taken on Dundas West.

 This is a vibrant mural by artist Ghazaleh, titled Celebration, located at Dundas Street West and Shaw Street in Toronto, directly across from Trinity Bellwoods Park. 

Click here for 2019 mural and here for 2021, by Ghazaleh.

Artist and Project: The artwork was created by Ghazaleh (ghazaraza) as part of the StreetARToronto (StART) Underpass Mural Project.

Theme: The piece celebrates one of Toronto's iconic parks, Trinity Bellwoods, focusing on community and park life.