Mural artist Christiano De Araujo and his work in new Mimico mural.
By IAN ROBERTSON
A recently-completed mural covering the wall of a commercial building beside Royal York Road provides a new greeting to the Mimico community.
Begun on October 14 and completed eight days later, the colourful piece of artwork was created and applied by Christiano De Araujo.
The Toronto artist depicts several buildings in what in 1858 began as a town in the former Township of Etobicoke, then was an independent municipality from 1911 until becoming part of Metropolitan Toronto in 1967.
Beautiful large mural on Royal York Road to help enlighten the area. Photos by Ian Robertson.
Five people painted in minimalist style without facial details are on the mural’s lower left, with a green-and-white GO Transit passenger train crossing a bridge behind them.
On the far right, a man wearing blue-and-white jersey and pants game gear is playing hockey beside a woman dressed in red while playing lacrosse.
Large light blue capital letters spell ‘MIMICO’ in a sky featuring fluffy white and grey clouds plus a flying pigeon.
The design “has to be about Mimico, and Mimico represents family, churches, diversity, hockey and lacrosse,” Josee Gosselin, owner of The Bread Essentials, said about the mural south of Melrose Street, on the north side of the building where the was opened in 2016.
The hockey player was inspired by the Toronto Maple Leafs practising in the Ford Performance Centre, formerly Mastercard Centre For Hockey Excellence, on Kipling Avenue, she said. The Toronto Marlies also practise there.
The lacrosse theme was based on the Royal York Road building’s owner having played that game locally.
Close by another popular mural by Christiano De Araujo to pay tribute to the founder of Sam Remo Bakery Natale Bozzo.
A board member of the Mimico Village Business Improvement Area, Gosselin said it received a $7,500 City of Toronto Mural and Street Art Program grant, with additional funds for the project to be provided by the BIA and the building’s owner.
She was inspired to contact De Araujo because of his popular large mural on the outer wall of nearby SaNRemo Bakery.
Completed three years ago at the nearby corner of Simpson Avenue and Royal York Road, it commemorates bakery founder Natale Bozzo (1946-2021).
De Araujo, who prepared the Mimico mural artwork “was the only artist who came back with the representation of the BIA idea, Gosselin said. Other artists who were asked to consider the project “said only their ideas” would be acceptable.
While completing his final work on the mural, using a portable machine to spray paint onto the brick wall, the artist said he began drawing when he was four, sketching comics on paper.