This is a new mural I just painted in Toronto titled "To the Future". The background was painted by KWEST of Toronto and STARE of Montreal, two of the most talented and respected graffiti artists in Canada, it was a pleasure to work with them on this. I've painted in Montreal a few times over the years, but this is my first mural for Toronto, so I was excited to explore the city a bit and paint there. The image is an homage to one of my favorite artists, Alex Colville, referencing his iconic 1965 painting, "To Prince Edward Island". Colville, who passed away last year, was one of Canada's best artists. I've been a fan of Colville's work since I first saw it as a kid, and felt it would be appropriate to paint this mural in Toronto, the city of his birth. His work often elevated and mythologized the commonplace, something I strive for in my own art. He also put a great deal of time and subtlety into his paintings, an aesthetic I share, which is at odds with our modern culture of increasing speed and decreasing attention spans. Describing his painting process, Colville said:
"It's a very unspectacular business, laborious, as I think it is with writers too. Every day you do a little bit and you hope it'll all come into focus."
This mural was commissioned by Eventscape, and is located on the roof of their building facing the Gardiner Expressway. The owner of the business is a patron of my work and there had been discussion of this mural project for the last few years. This was the first large mural project outside of the US that I've taken on since recovering from health issues last year, and I'm grateful it finally worked out so well. Many thanks to Gareth, Celeste and everyone from Eventscape for all their kind support in making this possible. Thanks to Kwest and Stare for contributing their expert flow to this mural. Merci a mon buen compa Louis Coupal + Yves Laroche gallery for facilitating another fun Canadian mural project.
