Outside the Box

Outside the Box | People

April 21, 2023April 19, 2023Natalie145 Comments

This week I resumed organizing my digital images. Today’s batch includes five utility boxes designed and painted by three Toronto-based artists. I organized these images under the Outside the Box | People theme and listed them by artist’s last name below.

Gary Taxali’s Designs

Gary Taxali is a Canadian contemporary fine artist and illustrator known for his iconic retro style pop art and illustration. The following two “Good Fun” boxes have subtle differences between them.

Gary Taxali’s design, Box #1 – Front view

Gary Taxali’s Design, Box #1 – Side view

Gary Taxali’s design, Box #2 – Front view

Gary Taxali’s design, Box #2 – Back and side views

Colin Tea’s Design

Colin Tea is a Toronto-based artist who is also known as Colin Turner Bloom. The design is meant to transport those passing by into the tranquility and beauty of nature.

Colin Tea’s design – Back and side views

Madeline Yee’s Designs

Madeline Yee is a Canadian illustrator and animator. The designs on two back-to-back boxes feature people activities in the neighbourhood.

Weekend Coffee Share

I enjoyed checking out the designs on these boxes and discovering Toronto-based artists. I usually look up the artists after my walk to learn more about their art portfolios.

Did you like any of the above designs? For more door photos, visit Dan’s #ThursdayDoors photo challenge.

I’d love for you to share what’s been happening, simple joys from your week and/ or favourite public art photos from around the world in the comments or Weekend Coffee Share linkup #115 InLinkz below.

Outside the Box | Animals

February 17, 2023February 15, 2023Natalie86 Comments

It’s been a good week with spring-like temperatures, plenty of sunshine and blue skies from Saturday through to Tuesday. I cycled most days and walked every day. On Wednesday, the daytime high temperature reached 14C (57F) which is unusual for mid-February here.

I photographed the following five utility boxes on my walks. I organized them under my Outside the Box | Animals theme and listed them by artist’s name. Most of them have different designs on the front, side and the back so two pictures for each box.

1. Raccoon by Jeff Blackburn

The raccoon is holding a camera like a tourist as this box is near St. Lawrence Market, a tourist-friendly area.

2. Pets by Tak Bùi, 2017

The design hopes to celebrate the affection humans have towards the two most popular pets. I spot a monkey, do you see it too?

3. Stinkpot Turtles Toronto Return by Jungle Ling, 2019

The design attempts to draw attention to the Eastern Musk Turtle or the Stinkpot Turtle which only grows to 5″ long. They once were common in South Eastern Ontario in our muddy flats and shallow rivers. Such habitats continue to disappear due to human activities.

4. Fish by Charles Weiss, 2015

The vertical design shows bright contrasting shapes of Lake Ontario fish. The largest fish is the Chinook salmon in two different colour patterns (brown for fall and silver for summer).

5. Birds by Avril Wu, 2021

Soft images of birds on the front and a striking crane on the back of this box.

Weekend Coffee Share

I enjoy these designs that highlight animal life around me. Which design(s) do you like?

Outside the Box | St. John’s

January 20, 2023January 18, 2023Natalie111 Comments

It’s been a good week with a few simple joys:

Sunny Sunday and Monday
Cycling and walking outdoors
Watching beautiful winter birds in the harbour
A walk and coffee catch up with a friend
Chatting with family and a longtime friend
Discovering new public art
Finishing a good book and starting another good book
Organizing my digital images (see below)

I organized my digital images of public art into themes and will post them in small batches. I named one of my themes Outside the Box for all sorts of painted boxes. Here’s the first batch.

I photographed the following five utility boxes when I went for a walk in St. John’s, Newfoundland. There are seven images since the “Jellybean Houses” utility box has different paintings on three sides.

Picture 1: This is the front view of the utility box with painted houses and doors on actual doors.

Picture 2: Side view of the same utility box. I like the painted flowers at the bottom. There is an actual green door behind the box, to the left of the picture.

Picture 3: The back of the same utility box. Again, I like the painted shrubs and flowers at the bottom.

Picture 4: An octopus in nice water bubbles.

Picture 5: Quidi Vidi is a picturesque neighbourhood in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Picture 6: These two boxes together show St. John’s Harbour. The wall behind them is a mural of sea life.

Picture 7: A violinist in bright colours; a sample of the rich music culture in St. John’s.

As I reviewed my pictures, I am reminded that travel provides many gifts: Anticipation before the trip, participation during the trip and recollection after the trip. Going through my pictures brought back fond memories of my walk in St. John’s.

Where Are the Doors?

The paint hides the door handles and locks on these utility boxes. They are there if you look closely. Visit Dan’s Thursday Doors for more door photos.