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Exhibitionists·Video

'It's just paint — you can paint over it': How murals taught him to stop being such a perfectionist

Toronto mural artist Ben Johnston breaks down his craft and tells us how his large-scale paintings help him pull away from the digital world.

Toronto's Ben Johnston tells us how his large-scale paintings help him pull away from the digital world

JR Alli · CBC Arts ·
Ben Johnston. (CBC Arts)

Look up, if you're on a Toronto street: Ben Johnston's huge typographic murals have something to say. And his signature intricate lettering has come to be a familiar sight in the city's landscape.

In this video, the artist takes you inside his craft to explain how his process works, how it's become a cathartic practice for him — and how it helps him get over his perfectionist tendencies.

Ben Johnston's massive murals

7 years ago
Duration 2:25
This Toronto mural artist breaks down his craft.

Johnston's murals are free, as he points out. And you can follow him here to see the new ones.

Ben Johnston at work on his Can't Stop Won't Stop mural. (JR Alli/Instagram)

Watch CBC Arts: Exhibitionists on Friday nights at 11:30pm (12am NT) and Sundays at 3:30pm (4pm NT) on CBC Television.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JR Alli

JR is a 19-year-old self-taught filmmaker from Toronto, Canada with a focus on new emerging filmmaking techniques on the online social media content space. He has been posting videos online since the age of 8.

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