Today’s second Non-themed “Honorable” mention is from Trainer JSThaShdwHunter (
@JSThaShdwHunter) in Canada 🇨🇦!
This postcard showcases “The Guardian” mural painted on the exterior wall of the LALA Contemporary Gallery (
facebook.com/lalacontemporar…) in the Little Portugal neighborhood of Toronto (
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toront…).
The mural was created in 2021 by Toronto artist Blazeworks (
blazeworksart.com) for the Little Portugal Toronto BIA (
lptbia.com).
The mural was designed to address a specific issue in the neighborhood: the frequent vandalism of public art by local graffiti writers. To create a piece that commanded respect within the street art community, Blaze blended classic graffiti-style lettering with traditional illustrative mural elements (such as Athena and her Owl). This "Guardian" is intended to watch over the street and serve as a bridge between high-concept public art and raw graffiti culture.
In Western culture, the owl is famously the animal companion of Athena (
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena), symbolizing wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. In this mural, it represents the watchful "eyes" of the guardian over the street.
Rather than a traditional mythological figure, the character is a stylistic bridge. Blaze used wildstyle graffiti lettering alongside these illustrative elements to command respect from the local street art community, ensuring the mural itself would be protected by the people who live and create in the area.
I LOVE this mural (and I am confident that
@AvatarFailed39 will love it too) and I sincerely hope JSThaShdwHunter will consider sending it again in a Non-themed month!
⭐️ for the PERFECT sticker pairing!