Hello blog friends! How are you doing? I hope you’re well and in the mood to see something new. Remember last month I took you on a virtual walk to see several Wave-themed art works? This week on one of my walks, I looked for art works with a Circular theme or a ripple effect to make my walk more interesting.
I’m sharing five sculptures and murals in alpha order of the artist’s last name. Let’s see if you can spot the circles or circular motion in the photos below.
Toronto Twister from A Series of Whirlpool Field Manoeuvres
Designed by Alice Aycock, the Toronto Twister from A Series of Whirlpool Field Manoeuvres for Pier 27 (2017) is one of my favourite sculptures. It’s made of aluminum powder coated white structural steel. The white colour stands out against the blue backdrop of the lake on a sunny day.
The Twister is 25 feet tall at its highest point. Behind it is a series of whirlpool field manoeuvres that look like giant flowers. I love the sense of strength and movements in this installation.
Between the Eyes
Designed by Richard Deacon, the giant Between the Eyes sculpture (1990) is made of zinc sprayed steel, stainless steel, cement, and granite face base. I used to think of it as two whisks joined in the middle.
For a hard steel structure, the curves did give me a sense of plasticity. On this sunny day, I approached the sculpture from two different angles, looking south to the lake and looking east through the end circle.
Metropolis
Designed by David Gerry Partridge, the Metropolis nail mural (1977) is one of the most popular attractions in the lobby of Toronto City Hall. The mural consists of nine panels made of aluminum sheathing over plywood, with over 100,000 copper and galvanized nails. Yes, nails!
I love Partridge’s unique sculpture technique using nails to design the Metropolis mural. Partridge passed away at age 87 in 2006 so this mural is one of his legacy art works in Canada.
Nautilus Gateway
Designed by Judith Schwarz, the Nautilus Gateway (1992) is a steel and bronze sculpture. Schwarz, a Canadian visual artist, has created public commissions in both Vancouver and Toronto, Canada. I like both the sculpture and its shadow on the sidewalk.
Heavenly Waters
Designed by the artist Wyland, the Heavenly Waters mural (1997) was #70 in Wyland’s Whaling Wall series of outdoor art. He started painting the series in the 80s and finished his 100th mural in June 2008 to share his love of marine life with 100 communities around the world.
I’m thrilled that Toronto has one of Wyland’s murals at an unusual location. It’s on the side of the Redpath Sugar Factory. On the left of the above photo is where big ships dock to load or unload sugar.
I love the circular movements of the whales and how the water colour gets darker in the depth of the ocean. The Heavenly Waters mural reminded me of the real whales I saw on Canada’s West Coast last September. Very happy memories!
I’m grateful for a sunny day, a nice walk, and interesting visual arts. The experience makes me smile and feel positive. Thank you for coming along with me. I hope you enjoy the circular-themed art works through my lens.
How did your week go? What makes your day interesting? I’d love to hear your comments.
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Natalie the Explorer 
Thanks for tipping me off to Wyland’s murals. I will be looking for them during our travels, whenever we can continue to travel! (fingers crossed)
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Glad to share Wyland’s murals with you. I’ve seen a few of them, including in Hawaii. Thank you, Maj and Sher, for stopping by.
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Wow! I loved this, Natalie. I feel like I’ve just taken a little trip. Your photos are fantastic! I love the flowers. Apart from working my day job from home, the birds outside have been providing my entertainment…especially our hummingbirds! Thanks for sharing with us. Stay well!
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Hi Jill: Bird watching is a lot of fun and the hummingbirds are always amazing to see. I’m glad you liked my photos. Thank you for stopping by. Stay well and have a nice weekend!
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Hi, Natalie – These circular pieces of art are fantastic. As much as I love living in a small town, I do miss being close to major galleries, museums, etc. etc.Thank you for sharing them here with us!
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You’re welcome, Donna. I’m glad you think these art pieces are fantastic. Stay safe and well!
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Very cool!
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Thanks, John and Susan, for stopping by. Hope you’re well in Colombia.
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I love the circular sculptures, especially the one that cats such a beautiful shadow on the brick. We have a couple of Wyland murals here in San Diego… they are magnificent!
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Yes, Wyland’s murals are magnificent. They’re worth making a worldwide tour to see them all.
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Hi Natalie, Each of your post remind me that I was too busy when I was traveling to Toronto every other month almost 30 years ago now. I was always too busy to visit the areas you present to us. I know they would have been very different but I bet I missed out on several wonderful places to see. In this post, I too was fascinated by the Metropolis piece. What a wonderful work that is! Thanks for sharing.
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Hi Gary, The Metropolis piece is amazing to see up close. I’m glad you find it fascinating. Hopefully you’ll visit Toronto at a leisure pace in the future when there is no pandemic.
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Hi Natalie – these are great – I love the Nautilus Gateway because of the shadow it leaves. And I really love the first sculpture, the Toronto Twister – so dramatic!
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Hi Barbara, It was such a sunny day that the shadow of the Nautilus Gateway was so clear, like a perfect stencil. The Toronto Twister is one of my favourite sculptures. I’m glad you love it too. I hope you’re safe and well. Thank you for stopping by.
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An interesting format for a blog post, Natalie. Having a theme is a fun way to align our energy. I see what you mean by “plasticity.” I am in awe of the nail mural. I had to pause for a moment on your whale photo and Toronto pictures. Yes, Canada’s West Coast. Thank you for sharing your happy memories. You will make many more.🙂
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Hi Erica/ Erika: I’m glad you found my post and photos interesting. I look forward to visiting Canada’s West Coast and East Coast again and making many more happy memories 🙂
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Interesting art work! It feels like a long time ago since I enjoyed art. When it is safe to do so I long to make a trip to the Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden. I love enjoying the architecture there. Thank you for this tour! I hope you are having a great weekend!
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Hi Maria: Stockholm is a beautiful city. I enjoyed the architecture when I was there too. Thank you for stopping by. Have a nice weekend!
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Very cool sculptures. Thanks for the post.
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Thank you, Antoinette, for your comment. I hope you’re keeping well.
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How very cool! Thanks for taking us along!
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Thank you, Kathleen, for stopping by. Glad you liked my post.
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My FAVORITE is Wyland’s absolutely BEAUTIFUL artwork!! There’s a store in Laguna Beach here that sells his artwork and I Love visiting there. I Love your theme and all your photos. Have a wonderful week ahead! ❤️🥰 🐋
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Hi Diana: Wyland’s murals are amazing. I’m in awe that he can paint such a large surface with many beautiful details and bring marine life alive. I’m glad you liked my theme and photos. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful week ahead!
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We go whale watching every year – I hope we can do it by the time peak season rolls around in Sydney. They are magnificient.
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So wonderful that you go whale watching every year. Hopefully you’ll be able to do it this year and share some photos.
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Sharing for #MLSTL…in exciting news, there are rumours that we can’t go overseas except to possibly NZ (later in the year) and NZ has ORCAS!!! So that made me smile…already planning a trip in the who-knows-when in my head!!
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A trip, NZ, orcas… all three thoughts would make me smile too. Have fun with your planning!
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I love your sculptures. It is good to have something to photograph when out and aboutm
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Hi Anne, I’m glad you liked the sculptures. They make my walk more interesting and give me something to share with my blog readers. Thank you for stopping by. Hope all’s well with you in the UK.
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I definitely found the walk with you interesting and fun thanks Natalie. How clever and creative some people are. I love the sculpture but also the shadow on the ground of the Nautilus Gateway. #lifethisweek
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Hi Deb, I’m glad you found my walk interesting. It was such a sunny day that the shadow of the Nautilus Gateway was so clear, like a perfect stencil. Have a wonderful week ahead!
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Thanks Natalie, the sun made the shadow so clear! The others are great too don’t get me wrong 🙂 Have shared for #mlstl
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Hi Deb, I’m glad you think the other art works are great, too. Some art pieces speak to us more than the others, and in this case the shadow of the Nautilus Gateway lets us see the beauty of the sculpture in a different light.
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Thanks for sharing this wonderful Toronto art with us, Natalie. It makes me want to get out and about again! 🙂
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You’re welcome, Laurie. The open road is calling 🙂
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I like the Heavenly Waters art on the building and most of the others except the Metropolis which is a bit creepy. I hate things with small dots (they creep me out and make me feel sick. It’s actually called Trypophobia!) but love the way some of the others play with the light and shadows.
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Glad you liked 4 out of 5 of the art works in my post. I didn’t know about trypophobia and sorry to hear how it affects you. Thank you for stopping by.
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‘Heavenly Waters’ is my favourite artwork, Natalie. What an experience to be that close to whales too! Amazing photo!
SSG xxx
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Heavenly Waters is a beautiful mural and seeing the whales IRL is one of my favourite experiences. Thank you, SSG, for your comment.
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Super cool – thanks so much for the virtual sculpture tour!
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Glad you liked it Sammie. Thank you for stopping by.
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I especially liked Partridge’s nail mural Metropolis. As well as the shadow cast by Schwartz’s Nautilus Gateway.
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I’m glad there are two pieces that you liked, Frank. The nail mural is unusual and the shadow cast by Nautilus Gateway is like a perfect stencil thanks to that sunny day.
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I don’t always like every piece of sculpture that I see, but I always appreciate the creativity and effort that goes into producing them. You’ve shown us some really striking pieces here, Natalie, and I loved examining them with you. And, oh- those whales! Definitely a sight to be jealous of! 🙂 🙂 Thanks so much for linking again. These are great!
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Thank you, Jo, for your encouraging comment. Art beauty is surely in the eye of the beholder. Watching the whales IRL is an unforgettable experience that I look forward to doing again soon.
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Hi Natalie, I found you on Jo’s Monday Walk. What a fun post you shared. I think I love the shadows created by these things as much as the sculptures themselves. The nail artwork is amazing, I didn’t really get it at first, but the side view shows how intricate it is. Fun walk.!
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Thank you, Geanie, for your visit and comment. I’m glad you liked the art pieces. It was a gorgeous sunny day, too precious not to go for a walk and enjoy some public art. I’ll visit your blog shortly.
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Thanks so much for sharing these, Natalie. My favourite was Alice Aycock, the Toronto Twister from A Series of Whirlpool Field Manoeuvres. I love the movie Twister with Helen Hunt.
Hope you’re staying safe and keeping well.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Thank you, Rowena, for your comment. How are you doing? The Toronto Twister sculpture is one of my favourites. I enjoyed watching Twister with Helen Hunt, too. Stay safe and well.
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Hi Natalie,
We’re doing well here in Australia and in our family. School went back online for term 2 today and so I’m trying to re-establish a routine at least for the next two weeks until school starts gradually heading back. I’m not a routine person and I had a session with my OT today and we’ve developed the idea of “flexible routine”. However, that seems to be a work in progress. I’m already erring too much on the flexible side of things.
How are you going?
Hope you’re keeping safe and well.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Hi Rowena, It takes time to adjust to a new routine. I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it work. My family and I are well. I stay at home most of the time, except to go buy groceries and to walk for exercise. All non-essential businesses are still closed here. We’re in spring season which makes it easier to go outside than in winter.
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Amazing ! Man-made wonders undoubtedly 🙂
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Thank you, Moumita, for your visit and comment. Yes, three man-made and two woman-made interesting visual arts 🙂
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Very interesting post, nice photos. Thanks for sharing.
🌞
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Thank you, Sasa, for your visit and comment. I think you’re from Slovenia? If so, a beautiful country that I visited not long ago.
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Oh, beautiful flukes, that’s on my bucket list past Corona! ♥nic
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Thank you, Nic, for your visit and comment. Whale watching in Canada is highly recommended 🙂
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I like all these sculptures, and thanks a lot for your explanations. Have a good week
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Thank you, Arnaud, for your visit and comment. I’m glad you liked the sculptures. Hope you’re well in France. Have a good week!
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I always enjoy your art/sculpture posts and this one is no exception. My fave is the tornado, but I love the whale mural and am fascinated by the nails. Toronto strikes me as being a fabulous city for art. I’d love to visit some day.
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Jo, I think you’ll enjoy Toronto when you visit. Arts, entertainment, multicultural cuisines and more. The arts that I showcase on my blog are free to the public.
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I do love street art and I particularly love that top twister sculpture. It really does look like a tornado.
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Glad you liked the Toronto Twister sculpture. It’s one of my favourites.
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I love these sculptures Natalie because of the clean lines. I particularly like the Nautilus Gateway and the way you captured the shadow. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing at #MLSTL and have a beautiful week.xx
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Hi Sue, It was a beautiful sunny day and the shadow of the Nautilus Gateway sculpture was like a perfect stencil. I’m glad you liked it. Have a great week!
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Such cool art. I would love to see this person. How wonderful. Thanks for sharing. #MLSTL
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Glad you liked the art works Patrick. Stay safe and well.
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Loved the first two Natalie – the fluidity and flow really appealed to me.
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 😊
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Hi Leanne, The Toronto Twister sculpture is one of my favourites. Glad you liked it too. Thank you for hosting MLSTL. Have a wonderful week with minimal coughing 🙂
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WOW! Very unique pieces! Love the photos!
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Thank you, Veronica, for your comment. I greatly appreciate it. Have a good week!
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Thank you so much for sharing the beauty from your place on earth. Lovely. I was taken with the mandala type details on Metropolis.
Thank you for linking up for Life This Week. Next week the optional prompt is 18/51 Taking Stock #2 4.5.2020. Hope to see you there too. Denyse.
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You’re welcome, Denyse. I enjoyed visiting the art works and sharing my photos. The Metropolis does have a mandala quality to it. Thank you for hosting LTW. Have a wonderful week!
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Milwaukee had a beautiful whale mural for decades (as I remember) on a (parking?) structure over a large expressway downtown. When a massive interchange redesign happened the building over the expressway was removed, and the mural as well. I used to always marvel at the size of the whales and think of them swimming through the city with a couple of flips of their tales. I miss the mural – I wonder where there might be a photo of it – it was very impressive.
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Thank you, Jeanne, for your visit and comment. I’m sorry to hear the mural in Milwaukee was removed. That’s a big art and history loss to the city.
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I found the Milwaukee mural, it was #72. Great post, I like beautiful sculpture!
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Jeanne, I’m glad the Wyland’s Whaling Wall web site keeps a timeline and photos of all 100 murals. #72 in Milwaukee was beautiful. Thank you for letting me know.
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How beautifully artistic!
Thanks for taking part at ‘My Corner of the World’ this week! It’s good to see you.
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Thank you, Betty, for hosting MCoW and stopping by to comment on my blog. Have a wonderful week!
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It is a bit of a metaphor for life itself, the circular items, that is. We are born grow, deciding on the design of the form of our life, make the creation and then, in the end, are finished and leave it for the next generation to enjoy. Does that make sense, Natalie?
The artworks themselves are intriguing. I think the first two, in particular, captured my eye.
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Hi Amanda, Initially I was going to title this post “Circle of Life” and quote Elton John’s song in the Lion King movie so yes, the metaphor occurred to me. I’m glad the first two artworks captured your eye. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!
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Thank you!!
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Thank you for sharing this circular art, Natalie–all beautiful pieces. My husband and I saw whales (lots of them!) in Mexico. It was a wonderful, almost spiritual, experience. #MLSTL
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Hi Christie, How wonderful that you saw lots of whales in Mexico. They’re magnificent creatures, aren’t they? I’m glad you liked the art pieces in my post. Have a great weekend!
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That’s some amazing artwork and so cool you get to see them while walking around too. I love the twister but most of the other ones are pretty awesome!
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Hi Sanch, I’m glad you liked what I showcased. The public artwork sure makes my outdoor walks interesting. Thank you for stopping by. Stay safe and well.
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I love these. When you said you were going to look for circular sculptures I thought, yea, right. Of course that’s because I live in a tiny rural town where there are no sculptures at all, much less circular ones. But these are beautiful! I especial love the shadow of the Nautilus piece. And did you know that Detroit (an hour from me) has a Wyland mural too? It’s a favorite of ours.
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I’m glad you liked what I showcased. The shadow of the Nautilus Gateway shows the lines so well on that sunny day. I saw Wyland’s mural in Detroit on his web site. Thanks, Dawn, for mentioning it.
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Toronto has so many wonderful public art installations. I like the ones you have featured, and choosing a circular themes was a great idea. Here in rural Vancouver Island, we have glorious Mother Nature, but little in the way of galleries, concerts, and art installations. However, Vancouver is just a ferry ride away, and Victoria is a two-hour drive.
Jude
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Hi Jude, I think BC is a beautiful province. If my family wasn’t in Ontario, I’d consider living in BC. I’ve always liked Victoria, Vancouver, and loved Tofino. I’m glad you liked the art works that I featured in this post.
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Awesome works!
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Thank you.
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