The Drake Hotel, Queen Street West, Toronto Queen Street West is one of Toronto's most eclectic neighbourhoods . In the early days of The Drake Hotel however the Queen St West neighghbourhood had fallen on hard times. One day I happened to be standing across from "The Drake" as it's often called. I thought it was curiously modern for this part of Toronto (it was opened in the early 1900's). I wanted to do something a bit different with it, however it took me a long time to decide what exactly would tell the story I wanted to tell. Months later, I had it - I would give it a "back in time" almost collage treatment and feel, but retain the modern glass front for the Drake so it's a bit of a contradiction. I lost count of the number of layers and textures, all I can say is each one is placed with thought and feeling.
History and architecture, blended with famous landmarks of the City of London. Every element represents a feeling, a connection, a thought. More appears, seemingly as you look, and in the distance a flash of red....