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Toronto was the last stop on my seven-city mural tour back in 2014. It was a fun place to end the trip, and we had a solid crew from OBEY Clothing from Canada and the U.S. to support and rage at various parties and grimy dives. Romeo Trinidad and Jon Furlong were up early to help with installation and photography despite the late nights. My crew, Nic Bowers, Rob Zagula, and Dan Flores, were essential to the deft completion of the two murals we did there – one on a music venue called The Tattoo (where the great Hennessy party went down) and the other on an art-themed hotel called The Gladstone. The proprietors and staff of both venues were incredibly generous hosts. I walked around Toronto’s Queen West district, putting up stickers, and I found a bunch of cool record stores, cafes, bars, boutiques, and more, I loved the area. Beyond just the euphoria of finding a Dead Kennedys 7″ singles box set, I could see hanging out in that area of Toronto for more than just a few days. Toronto’s people were super cool too. I got to hang with some great artists, including Gary Taxali and the Lovebot crew, who were friendly and genuine. There is a lot of good street art and graffiti in parts of Toronto too, so the city gets two thumbs up. As Keith Haring said, “the public has a right to art,” and after many years of hit-and-run street art, and many arrests, I’m working every angle I can to bring free art to the public on a larger scale. I want to thank every person in every city who helped to facilitate these murals. THANK YOU! Once this pandemic settles, there will be a lot more to come! -Shepard
