Parks are prized spaces in the urban domain as room for locals to feel and be free in. Sometimes they are sites of routine, a place for quality time, or space to learn a new skill. The design flows from past to future, taking into account the beaches nearby; honouring its history as the Woodbine Racetrack (visited by past Monarchs for the “Kings Plate” races) and where the first female jockey in Ontario Joan O'Shea raced in 1970.

As BAND Gallery is currently under renovation the team wanted to activate their fence and engage their local community in a new way. So they reached out to fellow muralist Krystal Ball and myself to paint it. We wanted to celebrate BAND Gallery’s representation of artists who are Black and/or from the African diaspora. Thus our design features a blend of patterned fabric designs (a cultural feature across the African diaspora) with local foliage woven in. Steeped in national history and social symbolism, these fabrics are adorned to mark occasions and are a silent form of communication. The meaning, however, is often lost in Western society.

So, while the mural brightens up the neighbourhood it also creates an opportunity for learning; sharing cultural significance of fabrics from Ankara wax prints, Kente fabric, and Mali-Mud cloth.

Sometimes the solution to a problem isn’t to hide it, but to change the conversation; and I was approached by the new owner of this historic farmhouse property to do just that. Gorgeous renovations had been done to restore and modernise the house built in 1860, but visitors were distracted by a weird cutout on the farm’s barn door. Something had to be done.

I found myself inspired by Romanticism and Sublime Art; specifically Friedrich’s ‘Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog’ (1818). Painters, disillusioned from modernism, desired to capture the awe and all-encompassing power of nature. With the property’s namesake (1 Peter 2:4-5) in mind, I wanted the painting to feel somewhat precious; thus a child in a wheat field, with ethereal swirls, and the sun whispering an eternal connection to God.

Parkdale reminds me of Hackney during the 90s; from the outside it has a tough exterior--but it's a sanctuary for people, new businesses, and non-profits who know it takes work to hold each other and build community.

This design reflects published perspectives and my own experiences volunteering; its legacy as a refuge for newcomers building and establishing local community, and knowing Parkdale is a base for many charitable organizations.

For Street Art Toronto’s ‘Outside The Box’ program. I was drawn to paint a woman in a moment of mindfulness in a design that wraps around the utility box. Thoughts of life affirming possibilities reminding her of a future hope–transforming her blues.