Hello and welcome to Weekend Coffee Share #33! I’m glad you’re here. Please come on in, help yourself to a cup of coffee, or tea, hot chocolate, or cold drink at my coffee station and let’s chat.
It was a week of sunny, warm and humid days. I had fun cycling, walking, kayaking, canoeing, and playing disc golf. Today I’m sharing wonderful art in a laneway, my recent reads, and a friendly reminder.
Laneway Art
I cycled to Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood then walked a quiet Euclid-Palmerston laneway. This laneway is a vast display of seventy five colourful garage doors painted by an amazing array of Toronto’s mural and street artists.
In 2018 and 2019, Jieun June Kim and Erika James (also known as KJ Bit Collective) partnered with the city’s StreetARToronto program to transform this community laneway into a giant canvas of graffiti and mural art. KJ Bit organized seventy five artists to paint garages in two live-paint jams. The initiatives were well supported by local residents who now enjoy their revitalized laneway.
I’m sharing twenty two images of the painted garage doors in today’s post, and the remaining garage door images in future posts. I’ve noted the street number, artist’s name and year based on my look-up.
Remember to click on any image in the gallery to see it in full view and use the arrow to move to the next image. Sharing for #ThursdayDoors, #PPAC10, Monday Murals and #LifeThisWeek.
Which door(s) in the gallery do you like?
Recent Reads
I’m pleased to contribute to the first #WhatsOnYourBookShelf challenge, co-hosted by four lovely bloggers Donna, Sue, Jo and Debbie.
I use the Toronto Public Library 2021 Reading Challenge categories to read widely and discover new books, authors, and genres. You can see the full list of books I’ve read and the categories I’ve met so far this year on my Books in 2021 page at the top of my blog.
My recent reads in July and August by author’s last name include:
- The Noise of Time – Julian Barnes
- Love At First – Kate Clayborn
- Dreamland – Sarah Dessen
- The Anthropocene Reviewed – John Green
- The Good Sister – Sally Hepworth
- Life’s Too Short – Abby Jimenez
- The Editor – Steven Rowley
- From My Mother’s Back – Njoki Wane
Five of the eight authors were new to me. I was pleased to discover them. I linked the book title to the author’s web site or GoodReads. If I were to rate this batch of books, on a 5-star scale, I’d give 4.5 stars to The Good Sister and The Anthropocene Reviewed. The other six books got 4 stars.
What’s on your bookshelf?
Friendly Reminder
I’m delighted to be hosting the Sunday Stills photography challenge on August 22 while host Terri is on blogging break. The theme is ‘In The Garden‘. I look forward to seeing all your entries for this week’s Sunday Stills photography challenge.
Copyright © 2023 natalietheexplorer.home.blog – All rights reserved.
Natalie the Explorer 
Oh wow Natalie! I love the garage door art – what a fantastic initiative from those artists – and a great bonus to the door owners! Thanks so much for sharing them – something I’d never seen before x
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Leanne, I’m glad you like the garage door art. Although Toronto has many laneways with organized street art, to my knowledge this laneway has the highest number of garage doors painted to date. Walking this laneway is like walking an outdoor art gallery.
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Well that was such a brightly visual post alright Natalie. Loved the doors and that you are part of the new reading blog sharing too. I am ready with my Sunday Post..a bit of trip down memory lane for this garden. See you on (your time Sunday, my time Monday!) and this coming Life This Week’s post about Time is by my husband. Lots of fun with changes. See you soon. Denyse
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Thank you, Denyse. Which of the above garage door art would be your top picks? I look forward to seeing you at Sunday Stills link-up.
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Oh Natalie…I love colour and patterns far too much for find a favourite. I loved so many.
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I love colours, too.
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Thank you for joining the Life This Week crew on my blog with your post. Next week the optional prompt is sharing your snaps. I hope to see your post there, on or off prompt and wish you well too. Denyse.
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Thank you Denyse. See you soon.
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Wow! I love the colorful garage door art! That makes our door look pretty boring. 🙂 You and I have similar taste in books. Thanks for sharing, Natalie!
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Jill, I’m glad you like the colourful garage door art and thumbs up for our similar taste in books, Although Toronto has many laneways with organized street art, to my knowledge this laneway has the highest number of garage doors painted to date. Walking this laneway is like walking an outdoor art gallery. Have a great weekend!
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I love the garage doors. I couldn’t narrow it down to a favorite, but my top three are Jenny Chen 218P – Christan C 250P – Diana Vendermuelen 280P.
I am impressed with your reading. I (thought I) read a lot, but…
I hope you have a great weekend, Natalie. Thanks for including Thursday Doors in your post.
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Dan, Thank you for hosting Thursday Doors. Your top three picks of the garage door art are excellent. They’re quite beautiful IRL. I was amazed at the artists’ ability to work up close with big canvas. These are mostly double garage and some of them are 3 to 4-car garage. I usually don’t watch TV so that time goes into reading. Have a great weekend!
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The garage doors are fabulous! So colorful and creative.
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They’re quite amazing, Beth. I love walking this laneway as it’s like an open air art gallery with 75 or more painted garage doors.
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Seems like a great bike ride
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The bike ride and the laneway art walk were fantastic.
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Sounds like you’ve hit a good stride reading-wise! These garage doors are fabulous!! I wonder how my husband would feel about me painting up our doors…
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I aim to read at least one book per week. If you paint up your doors, you may set a new trend in your neighbourhood 🙂
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Great murals. The flamingo and the parrot are my favourites.
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Thank you, Alison, for your visit and comment. The flamingo and the parrot murals are beautiful IRL. Excellent choices!
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You’ve been busy, Natalie! Wonderful street art. Congrats on all your reading! I’m replying from the Spokane Airport as we head south today. Thanks again for hosting Sunday Stills. Thanks for that coffee ☕
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It’s been a fun-filled summer for me, Terri. I look forward to hosting Sunday Stills. I have my SS post ready. Safe travels and have a fabulous weekend!
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I love the Diana Vandermuelen one. Those colors and that design are great.
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Excellent pick, Ally. Diana V’s garage door art is amazing. I studied its colours and design for a while when I was at the laneway.
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Jenny Chen and Aidan Kenny’s are my favourites. I’m currently reading a Montalbano book..The Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri. I’d loved to read more, but so many other things grab my attention. Thanks for hosting.
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Excellent picks! Jenny Chen’s fish art and Aidan Kenny’s bold design are incredible to see IRL. I like detective fiction so will add the title you mentioned to my list. Thank you for linking up. Have a great weekend!
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I’m not sure which are my favorite, they are all so unique. I think I like the 280P and the 212P the best. That’s quite a reading list too. I wish I was a faster reader or took more time to read. I should just carry a book with me all the time. Those look good. I’ve heard of a few, but plan to check out some of the others. I just finished “The Last Thing he Told Me”, and “Miss Benson’s Beetle”
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280P and 212P colours and details are amazing to see IRL. I aim to read at least one book per week. Thank you for the two book titles you mentioned. Have a great weekend!
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Oh what marvelous photos you were able to capture. I think my favorite is your second one. But they are all lovely. 😀
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Thank you, Cee, for your comment. So many choices in one laneway 🙂
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Hi Natalie, the garage doors art is spectacular and I love the parrot the best although they are all bright and cheerful. Such a great idea. You do find some interesting spots to visit! Thanks so much for joining us for #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge. I’ve only read The Good Sister from your list so happy to find more books to add to my shelf. Have a great week and thanks for #weekendcoffeeshare x
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Hi Sue, You chose a great door. The parrot painting is beautiful IRL. This laneway is one of my favourite laneways with such a high number of murals in one place. Thank you for linking up and for co-hosting WOYBS.
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Hi Natalie – a wonderful evocative post as usual! My favourites are the flamingos by Ghazaleh Rastgar and the Jeoffrey Anthony one. I had seen The Good Sister in the book shop so good to read your comments. I’ll be along later for the coffee share!
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Hi Barb, Excellent choices! Both the flamingoes and the one painted by J. Anthony are beautiful IRL. I studied both of them for a while when I was at the laneway. I enjoyed The Good Sister. It was my first time reading Sally Hepworth and am now looking for her other books.
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That’s a great entry for ‘Thursday Doors.’ It is fun to see all the colorful art. I have a few books sitting here that I need to get into as well.
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The artists did a great job painting those garage doors. Have fun reading!
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Thanks for stopping by, Natalie.
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I LOVED The Noise of Time. I thought it was such a masterful work (I adore Julian Barnes. I don’t think there’s a book of his I don’t like). I picked it for bookclub and everyone didn’t like it. So if you did like it, you might be interested in M T Andersons Symphony of the City of the Dead – which covers a lot of what Barnes writes about in detail – plus a WHOLE lot more. Not a cheery and uplifting book (I thought Barnes was very whimsical and funny) but a great read nonetheless.
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Thank you for the book suggestion. Last year when I picked up Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending, I read it non-stop. Such a brilliant book. I also enjoyed his The Only Story novel.
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I just read The only Story too. He’s very clever and every book is so different
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Yeah, a prolific and versatile writer.
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Love love love that art! I haven’t read any of the books on your list and can’t believe I still haven’t read any of Sally Hepworth’s. There are, however, a few that will go onto my TBR. Thanks for linking up!
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It was my first time reading Sally Hepworth and I’ve already requested her other books. So many good books and not enough time. Thank you for co-hosting WOYBS, a fab idea!
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We’re very excited by it.
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Hi Natalie, I must say that garage door art is amazing! I really enjoyed them all and particularly liked 222P Camila Wong and 250P Christian C, what a great way to share art!
It’s so good to have you join us for our first What’s on Your Bookshelf series and I must say I really enjoyed Sally Hepworth’s The Good Sister as well and I’m taking note of the others you mentioned. My to be Read list will be groaning under the weight soon!
I’ll be seeing you for Sunday Stills tomorrow!
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Hi Debbie, 222P and 250P are excellent choices. They’re quite beautiful IRL. I spent time at the laneway to study each design. It was like an open air art gallery.
Congrats on the launch of WOYBS challenge with Donna, Sue and Jo! It’s a fantastic idea. It was my first time reading Sally Hepworth and I’ve since requested her other books from the library. I’m glad you liked The Good Sister, too.
I look forward to seeing you at Sunday Stills on August 22!
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I love the murals! They’re all so good but I think I like 222P the best! Great reading list, too, I get through one book every three months! I need to carve out more reading time. Thanks for sharing and of course for hosting!
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You picked a great mural Kathleen. 222P is beautiful with amazing details IRL. I aim to read at least one book per week in the summer and can usually read more in the winter. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!
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These are beautiful, Natalie! It’s hard to choose a favorite, but I was particularly attracted to 212P (the 2nd one in your collection).
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Yes, 212P is colourful and symbolic with the heart at the bottom of the painting and the rays that radiate like sunlight. Thank you for your comment.
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All these amazing festivals going about in Toronto! This city doesn’t do things in halves!
Are these garage doors of residences?
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Yes, these are garage doors of residential homes.
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You are so busy, I don’t know where to start! The garage doors are lovely! I would really enjoy walking through a neighbourhood with these garage doors, even though I would not like to have one myself. I always enjoy your posts. At the moment I mostly read books related to work, and children’s development. I read my fair share of novels during my summer vacation 🙂 Thank you for the coffee. I will try to make a post for the Sunday Stills.
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The walk in that laneway was wonderful. It’s like an open air art gallery. I’m glad you always enjoy my posts 🙂 I look forward to seeing you at Sunday Stills. Sunday Stills link-up is from Sunday to Saturday so no rush.
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You’ve certainly broadened your reading horizons a lot! These books sound interesting. I’m also glad you had fun exploring the lane art.
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I read more widely by using the Toronto Public Library Reading Challenge categories. It was fun to cycle to the laneway and walk to see the painted garage doors.
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Oh yes, those challenge categories certainly sound interesting. Does the library also have suggestions for each category?
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Yes, the library provides book suggestions for each category, both by library staff and readers from the public.
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Cool street art. A blogger I follow has a blog devoted to street art, and I believe she is Toronto based as well. Hope you are having a great weekend and have a wonderful week ahead 🙂
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If you don’t mind sharing her blog URL, I’ll visit her blog. I hope storm Henri doesn’t negatively affect your area. Have a great weekend!
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Resa has more than one blog, but this is where she shares photos of graffiti art: https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/
I think we’ll get rain and wind, but the big impact will be hot and steamy weather all week, which is nothing new…
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Thank you for Resa’s blog URL.
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What a super collection of garage doors.
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Thank you, Jean, for your comment. I’m glad you like these garage doors. I have more to share next week.
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Beautiful pictures! I love seeing little bits of Toronto from your posts.
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Thank you, Janet. Lots to explore in Toronto. I have a Toronto category on my blog.
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Love all the laneway art!
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I think this laneway has the highest number of art in one location.
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The artwork is fab! I love street art and this is next level. I reckon every place needs to have some kind of garage or street art. It really brings joy. Haven’t read any of the books on your list but have heard good things about Sally Hepworth.
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Yes, this laneway is a gem with >75 garage doors painted by professional artists. It was my first time reading Sally Hepworth. I’ve requested her other e-books from the library.
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Wow, I’ve never seen garage door art like that before and to have streets or laneways dedicated to this art is magnificent!! If I had to pick a favorite the first one Kitty with the matching smaller door and the flamingos are my favorite! 💜 I’m trying to get back into reading books, I’ve been so bad and haven’t picked up a book in awhile. I like what you shared! Have a great weekend Natalie, and thank you for the coffee share! ☕😍
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Excellent picks, Diana. The kitty and the flamingos are colourful and beautiful IRL. This laneway is a gem. In the summer, I aim to read one book per week. In the winter I can usually read more than one book per week. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Those are super cool. Love them all. The one by Victoria Day is the one that jumps out the most but all are very cool.
Oh, the book I found in my post-The cheapest I have seen it for is like $400.
Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
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The door by Victoria Day has very nice colours and looks beautiful IRL.
You’ve got an excellent book find and it was signed, too. Well done! Have a great week!
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What great photos Natalie. My favourite was 220P The Flamingos.
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Thank you for your comment. You picked a beautiful door. The Flamingos at 220P are well loved. The artist who painted that garage door has done many murals in Toronto.
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Toronto is THE place for garage door art! Great stuff!😎
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Thank you for your visit and comment. This laneway is a gem with the highest number of garage door art that I’ve seen in one location to date.
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Revitalizing a neighborhood with street art is such a wonderful idea. Did you ever visit this laneway before, Natalie? Another great find. Toronto is full of little gems. I enjoyed a couple of the more abstract “paintings” in this gallery, but haven’t found a favorite yet. I’m looking forward to your next set of them. Have a fabulous Sunday!
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Hi Liesbet, I’ve visited this laneway before and will likely revisit it at least once a year. I decided to take photos and catalogue the garage door art after I discovered a new painted door (done in 2020) on this visit. Palmerston and Euclid streets are lovely streets in the downtown core with big old trees and nice street lamps. Little Italy neighbourhood has many appeals. Have a great weekend!
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Once again, the Toronto tour was stunning. Thanks fior the stroll and browse through your library. Have a funtastic week.
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Thank you, Antoinette, for your comment. I’m glad you liked my photo gallery. Have a great week!
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Love the street art!
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Thank you, Lizl. More to come next week.
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Oh, lovely! I look forward to that.
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Hi, Natalie – Thank you so much for joining us at Whats On Your Bookshelf. I haven’t (yet) read any of the books that you have shared here – but I will check them out further.
I absolutely adore the graffiti and mural art that you shared here. What a wonderful endeavour!
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Hi Donna, Thank you for co-hosting WOYBS with Sue, Jo and Deb. It’s a brilliant idea. I’ve read all John Green’s books and The Anthropocene Reviewed is different from his previous YA fiction. It was my first time reading Sally Hepworth. I enjoyed The Good Sister and requested more of her books from the library. The garage door art in this laneway is really incredible. More to share next week.
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As I was looking at all these garage doors, I realized the ones with the horizontal lines were less noticeable than the ones with the squares. They are all beautiful, though.
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Thank you for your visit and comment. Great eye for details when you noticed the lines vs the squares on the doors. I’ll post my second batch of garage doors next week. Hope you drop by to see them. Have a great week!
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What a lovely outing and good for you getting out and about cycling! Love the laneway art and it’s so different to see it on garage doors!
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Hi Min, it was a fantastic outing. This laneway is a gem right in the heart of the city. I’m glad you liked the artwork on the garage doors. I have more to share next week.
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The laneway art is amazing and the owners of those garages get to see all this colour every day.
My favourites were the parrot by Christian C and the Camila Wong one.
Thanks for participating in Monday Murals Natalie and hope to see your murals often.
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Thank you Sami for your visit and comment and for hosting Monday Murals. Your two picks by Christian C and Camilla Wong are excellent. Their colours and designs are beautiful to see IRL. I have more to share next week.
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Ooh I’ll participate in the #whatsonyourbookshelf challenge. The cat mural and the Jenny Chen Mural are my favorite ones.
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Excellent! The two murals you chose are beautiful IRL. The WOYBS challenge is a fab idea.
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The art is fab.. I think my favourite would be the 218P Jenny Chen 2019 has an effect of making the garage seem like a doorway to galaxies unknown… an adventure just waiting to happen
~B
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Thank you, B, for your comment. 218P is an excellent pick. It’s beautiful IRL. The art work beckons imagination and the detailed painting is amazing. I have more garage doors to share next week. Hope you’re keeping well.
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Very much enjoyed The Good Sister. Bounced back and forth trying to decide which one was actually the good sister. Guess they both were in some respects.
What a find in that alleyway of gorgeous garage doors. Can’t wait to see the rest of the doors in an upcoming post. The first one gives me German vibes and looks a lot like a quilt pattern to me, very quaint. I generally prefer realistic art to abstract but I like the symmetry and color palette of the NIXO door. Such a great sense of community in this garage door gallery!!
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I requested another book by Sally Hepworth after reading The Good Sister.
NIXO is Erika James, one of the two artists who initiated this Laneway art project. She has done many murals in Toronto. I like the bold colours and patterns that she used on the 248P and 262P doors. I’ll share the next batch of garage doors on Friday. It also has several gorgeous doors.
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