Rainbow Tunnel Restoration

Painted over graffiti to restore this beautiful Toronto landmark

I was grateful to work on the latest restoration of the Rainbow Tunnel in Moccasin Trail Park in Toronto, visible from the Don Valley Parkway near Don Mills and Lawrence.

One of Toronto’s biggest landmarks, the “Rainbow Tunnel” was first produced by B.C. Johnson in 1971 on the east side of the Don Valley Parkway, approaching Lawrence Avenue East. He decided to paint it in memory of a friend who had passed a year prior in an unfortunate incident involving a fiery crash on the DVP. For Johnson, this was a memorial that marked the one-year anniversary of his friend’s passing. - https://muralroutes.ca/mural/rainbow-tunnel/

This mural has long been one of my favourite parts of the city. It's so magical, especially when you come upon it at twilight. Unfortunately, it also attracts a steady stream of taggers and has needed to be repainted many times over the years.

It felt good to be part of keeping it alive.

Working with a team of four other artists from Mural Routes, we scrubbed off about five years of dirt and algae, scraped old flaking paint, primed over graffiti and repainted the beautiful rainbow stripes.

Rainbow Tunnel Restoration

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