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Sunday, November 2, 2025

Graffiti replacement therapy

I've been on a graffiti kick lately, starting with some paintings around Cabot street in Sud West neighborhood, into the legal graffiti alley in Mile End near my old steet, and out to the famous legal graffiti tunel on Rouen street in Hochelaga. To be clear, I'm not a graffiti artist and would never deface property, in fact, I even have a waste container to collect my dirty painting water on location so that it can be disposed of at home. Its more of an exploration of graffiti art and the artists (writers) behind the work. This old factory shows up as 'Bando Factory' on google maps, listed as a 'playground' but that information is an on-line prank. It was last registered as a Federal Corporation on 4010 st Patrick street that disbanded in 2019. Using the time-machine feature on google maps street view, and you see the first graffiti started in 2014. In the painting, I replaced the actual graffiti with my own crew's names. That large insect is actually there, its a 3-D sculpture made from motorcycle parts by an artist named Junker... I found that info on the internet too. On my blog, this location is referred to as the Zen Factory.    

Sun over Zen Factory, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, November 2025

All art producted at the Zen Factory must be trippy. In most of these paintings, I am painting over top of an old doodleism style painting from 2020 called Biological Immortality that was cut up into smaller pieces. Thus, the character was from the original painting, while the structure was painted on location. As usual I replaced the actual graffiti names with some of my crew. 

Behind the window, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, November 2025

The graffiti artists dont use pink too often, although Zonek started to recently. Most of the windows are broken now... the other day I was here, kids were throwing rocks at the windows. Today I stayed on the sidewalk the whole time painting from a bit of a distance, there is a lot of broken glass all around the structure. If any artist wants to paint a dilapidated warehouse/factory covered in graffiti art, this is the place to go... lots of spots to set up on the wide sidewalk and asphalt in the front along st Patrick street. And totally legal, no trepassing required. A police cruiser went by and didn't even slow down. 

Zen in pink, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, November 2025 

An old red pole was worn down and rusted, someone named PJD25 had painted a drippy tag in black ink over top. Trees were growing around it, as if to reclaim the iron back into the earth. Too bad the city will clear the whole lot one day, there is a small forest growing here filled with birds, field mice, voles, insects and other wildlife. 

Tree around red pole, watercolour 6 x 7.5" cold press, November 2025  

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