Sometimes referred to by its adjoining alley Rush Lane, Graffiti Alley is more than a series of murals, incredible as they are: it also represents a change for Toronto’s relationship with legalized street art. When it was legitimized in 2011 through the efforts of the Queen Street West BIA, it also gave rise to StART — the city-sanctioned program in charge of cultivating legal street art — and made way for equally brilliant revitalization projects like the beautiful art of Underpass Park. Since then, the alleyway has become a staple feature of the city and has even been the locale for mini street fests. In today’s class we looked at a few of some “nicknames” for grafiti artists such as Anser, Uber 5000 and Elicser who are all a staple of Toronto’s downtown graffiti scene. The artists who inspired today’s class was Flips BSC (Blurred Sight Cleared). Flips is a man of many talents: he is a gifted graphic designer, storyteller, tattoo artist and so very talented with a spray can in hand. His signature “Le Swirl Style” can be seen all over the city, and like all of his work, it’s about more than just the aesthetic. In his own words:“Mirroring life, the swirls represent the state of flux that exists in life, a beautiful mess of movement and energy. At the heart of each line cluster exists a circle that represents the individual soul, linked to others through infinite ties. A grouping of swirls signifies a community bound by creativity.”
Take a look at some of our student’s graffiti art- inspired by the swirly style of Flips BSC. Students created their own pencil sketches – including at least one swirl and then outlined those swirls and other lines with black oil pastel to create “walls” for each of the watercolours they applied. Some students mixed their paint colours to create new variations of colours and some stayed with the yellow, magenta, red and blue/green liquid watercolours that were given. A few students came up with their own nicknames as well.
Graffiti Alley is alive with bright and vibrant colours.
Check it out next time you are in the area.
You won’t be disappointed!